Aesthetics

By Monroe Beardsley,

Book cover of Aesthetics: Problems in the Philosophy of Criticism

Book description

This second edition features a new 48-page Afterword--1980 updating Professor Beardsley's classic work.

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Why read it?

1 author picked Aesthetics as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Originally published in 1958 as a textbook, when Aesthetics was updated, it was recognized as the “summa” of the aesthetic theory of art. This is the view that something is art just in case it is made with the intention to afford a certain magnitude of aesthetic experience. Because of his emphasis on aesthetic experience, Beardsley defended the notion of the autonomy of art – the idea that art is essentially independent of all other social practices. Using this lens, Beardsley explores an impressive range of topics including literature, fiction, pictorial representation, criticism, and interpretation.

From Noël's list on philosophy that surveys the arts.

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