Full Description
The Social Value of Art (1939) is a thorough examination of art activity, using the knowledge of the workings of the mind and of the attractions of pleasure. It helps us understand the arts through an analysis which goes to the root of our ways of thinking and feeling.
Contents
Part 1. The Place of Art Activity in the Structure of Human Life 1. The Nature and Context of the Subject 2. How the Influence of Art May Operate 3. 'Art for Art's Sake' 4. Emotional Life 5. The Special Necessity of Art to Modern Life 6. The Two Ways in Which the Values of Works of Art May Be Considered 7. A Psychological Theory of Value Part 2. Technical and Other Aspects of Art Activity 8. How to Answer the Question 'What is Art?' 9. The Nature of Experience 10. Art as Communication of Experience 11. Art Processes 12. The Place of Pleasure and Beauty in an Estimation of Art Values 13. Examples in Poetry and Prose of an Artist's Expressive and Communicative Gifts 14. General Considerations Part 3. Some Relevant Questions 15. An Analysis of Some Objections to 'Art Theory' 16. 'Impersonal' Judgement 17. The Linguistic Aspect of Discussion 18. Censorship
