Literature about art and entertainment analysis?
September 10, 2011 6:37 AM Subscribe
What are the important works of literature that analyze art and entertainment (a&e) from an interdisciplinary, critical or literary perspective?
I'm particularly interested in literature that advocates action or change in how a&e are practiced.
The intent being to better understand and appriciate but also getting inspiration to create more meaningful a&e.
I'm particularly interested in literature that advocates action or change in how a&e are practiced.
The intent being to better understand and appriciate but also getting inspiration to create more meaningful a&e.
Hmmm...that's a pretty broad question. Do you mean art and entertainment as one entity, or the intersection of the two?
Things like art/aesthetic critique come to mind, people like: Adorno (specifically Philosophy of Modern Music, Aesthetic Theory and Culture Industry), Benjamin (specifically Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction), Danto (specifically The End of Art and Transfiguration of the Commonplace), Cavell's The World Viewed (for film specifically), perhaps Focault (like Order of Things, Archeology of Knowledge).
That's just the tip of the iceberg, and most of that is pretty abstract. Literary theory is a wide reaching topic and I'm no expert.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:14 AM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Things like art/aesthetic critique come to mind, people like: Adorno (specifically Philosophy of Modern Music, Aesthetic Theory and Culture Industry), Benjamin (specifically Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction), Danto (specifically The End of Art and Transfiguration of the Commonplace), Cavell's The World Viewed (for film specifically), perhaps Focault (like Order of Things, Archeology of Knowledge).
That's just the tip of the iceberg, and most of that is pretty abstract. Literary theory is a wide reaching topic and I'm no expert.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:14 AM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Think_Long, yeah, the question became really broad but that's because I need to educate myself on the basics.
Lutoslawski, I was thinking of art and entertainment as one entitiy but intersection sounds equally interesting (too broad, I know!). Thanks for the suggestions, I think I'll start looking there.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:33 AM on September 10, 2011
Lutoslawski, I was thinking of art and entertainment as one entitiy but intersection sounds equally interesting (too broad, I know!). Thanks for the suggestions, I think I'll start looking there.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:33 AM on September 10, 2011
Try Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre-Dame." Make sure it's a translation that hasn't pruned all of Hugo's magnificent tangents. Go to Book V Chapter II (in the Signet Classics version, anyway).
Superficially, it doesn't "advocate change," but it sort of does.
"The book will kill the edifice!" It's fascinating, and if your goal is to create A&E which is truly meaningful, this may at least help in defining "meaningful."
posted by deep thought sunstar at 8:35 PM on September 10, 2011
Superficially, it doesn't "advocate change," but it sort of does.
"The book will kill the edifice!" It's fascinating, and if your goal is to create A&E which is truly meaningful, this may at least help in defining "meaningful."
posted by deep thought sunstar at 8:35 PM on September 10, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
The history of art manifestos in the modern era is really fascinating. They may seem dogmatic at first, but a lot of their rules are based on some very real and fascinating theory.
You may have to get a little more specific in the kind of work you're looking for, because it seems like you've kinda just asked for the entire genre of art history and criticism.
posted by Think_Long at 7:51 AM on September 10, 2011