Hans Gumbrecht: Production of Presence: What Meaning Cannot Convey (2004)
Filed under book | Tags: · aesthetics, art, constructivism, epistemology, hermeneutics, literary theory, meaning, metaphysics, philosophy, presence
“Production of Presence is a comprehensive version of the thinking of Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, one of the most consistently original literary scholars writing today. It offers a personalized account of some of the central theoretical movements in literary studies and in the humanities over the past thirty years, together with an equally personal view of a possible future. Based on this assessment of the past and the future of literary studies and the humanities, the book develops the provocative thesis that, through their exclusive dedication to interpretation, i.e. to the reconstruction and attribution of meaning, the humanities have become incapable of addressing a dimension in all cultural phenomena that is as important as the dimension of meaning. Interpretation alone cannot do justice to the dimension of “presence,” a dimension in which cultural phenomena and cultural events become tangible and have an impact on our senses and our bodies. Production of Presence is a passionate plea for a rethinking and a reshaping of the intellectual practice within the humanities.”
Publisher Stanford University Press, 2004
ISBN 0804749167, 9780804749169
200 pages
PDF (updated on 2019-12-7)
Comment (0)Richard Kostelanetz: Conversing with Cage, 2nd ed (1987/2003)
Filed under book | Tags: · aesthetics, art, biography, dance, music, music theory, radio, sound recording
Conversing with Cagedraws on over 150 interviews with John Cage conducted over four decades to draw a full picture of his life and art. Filled with the witty aphorisms that have made Cage as famous as an esthetic philosopher as a composer, the book offers both an introduction to Cage’s way of thinking and a rich gathering of his many thoughts on art, life, and music. John Cage is perhaps this century’s most radical classical composer. From his famous “silent” piece (4’33”) to his proclamation that “all sound is music,” Cage stretched the aesthetic boundaries of what could be performed in the modern concert hall. But, more than that, Cage was a provocative cultural figure, who played a key role in inspiring scores of other artists-and social philosophers-in the second half of the 20th century. Through his life and work, he created revolutions in thinking about art, and its relationship to the world around us. Conversing with Cageis the ideal introduction to this world, offering inthe artist’s own words his ideas about life and art. It will appeal to all fans of this mythic figure on the American scene, as well as anyone interested in better understanding 20th century modernism.
Edition 2
Publisher Routledge, 2003
ISBN 0415937922, 9780415937924
332 pages
Clement Greenberg: Homemade Esthetics: Observations on Art and Taste (2000)
Filed under book | Tags: · abstract art, abstract expressionism, aesthetics, art, art criticism, art theory, impressionism, painting, pop art
“In this work, which gathers previously uncollected essays and a series of seminars delivered at Bennington College in 1971, Greenberg provides his most expansive statement of his views on taste and quality in art. He insists that despite the attempts of modern artists to escape the jurisdiction of taste by producing an art so disjunctive that it cannot be judged, taste is inexorable. He maintains that standards of quality in art, ohe artist’s responsibility to seek out the hardest demands of a medium, and the critic’s responsibility to discriminate, are essential conditions for great art. He discusses the interplay of expectation and surprise in aesthetic experience, and the exalted consciousness produced by great art. Homemade Esthetics allows us to watch the critic’s mind at work, defending (and at times reconsidering) his controversial and influential theories. Charles Harrison’s introduction to this volume places Homemade Esthetics in the context of Greenberg’s work and the evolution of 20th century criticism.”
Foreword by Janice Van Horne Greenberg
Introduction by Charles Harrison
Publisher Oxford University Press, 2000
ISBN 0195139232, 9780195139235
256 pages