How do we judge literary value and artistic value? (original) (raw)

The Connection between Literature and Aesthetics - Is it problematic?

Most literary critics are reluctant to accept the relevance of aesthetics to literature. The aim of this paper is to show how aesthetics can be related to literature in terms of values, among other concepts. The aesthetic experience and the aesthetic value of literature have long been discussed and, as a result, there have been many divergent theories from philosophers in general and aestheticians in particular. In this paper I revisit P. Lamarque's objections to the connection between aesthetics and literature. I argue for and against these objections, referring to accounts written by several philosophers, among whom M.C. Beardsley, R. Stecker, N. Carroll and K. Walton. I claim that the connection between aesthetics and literature is possible of any literary genre is transformed into an experience which is mostly subjective, and generates aesthetic values which, on the other hand, are more objective and universal. As Lamarque claims, literary critics seem to emphasize more the instrumental values of literature rather than its more purely intrinsic values. Moreover, they are keeping away as much as possible from value judgements of any kind. All this seems to separate literature from aesthetics. There are common factors however, such as aesthetic pleasure, which are used by both aestheticians and literary critics. This is proof enough that literature holds a strong place in contemporary aesthetics. Most aestheticians regard literature, especially poetry, as one of the arts. However the most common issues that philosophers write about are the cognitive and ethical values of literature. Such debates lack the literary and hence the aesthetic aspect of literature. In fact, it is not so obvious that when philosophers write about literature, they are really engaged in aesthetics. This is the focus of this paper: does the concept of aesthetics of literature really connect aesthetics to literature? More precisely, which criteria make literary works suitable for aesthetic evaluation? The key to these questions lies in the aesthetic experience of pleasure.

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Daily Philosophy, 2023

This essay aims to identify the essential value of art. That is, all forms of art, art as such. And in doing so it is shown how that value is related to the deep features of the human condition. Art it is argued is more universal and fundamental than religion, science, or morality, for it connects to what it is to be human itself. Art better than they explores and reflects our place in the universe and how we thereby see ourselves, and the way in which we can through art seek to transcend our seeming insignificance in the universe and the banality of our mere existentiality.

What Makes One Work of Art Better Than Another - From Aesthetic Judgment to Canonicity

This is a shortened version of a longer unpublished paper which sets out ideas explored throughout my books especially Defining Art, Creating the Canon. In this version, I first draw attention to familiar features of the aesthetic judgment in general, and then identify objective criteria whereby evidence to support aesthetic judgment can be provided. I give particular emphasis to the fact that such judgments logically involve a critical comparative aspect – a feature that the existing philosophical literature has not addressed. After explaining this, I go on to consider the objective validity of aesthetic judgments concerning the arts.