While Tolstoy may be best remembered as the talented Russian author of such monumentally great works as "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina"; he also wrote prolifically in essay format on various subjects. In this volume Tolstoy turns his attention to the study of aesthetics and art in all its forms. Based on fifteen years of research "What is Art?" is Tolstoys intellectual exposition into answering the titular question. Rich with criticism for his contemporaries as well as even his own writings; Tolstoy makes the central argument that art should be used as a force for good and betterment of mankind and that art that is borne out of vanity; sexual desire; or some other amoral ambition should be condemned. For Tolstoy; art has a religious significance; which is instrumental to the reader in explaining the philosophy for art that he crafts in this work. As a compelling and interesting examination of the place of art in our society; "What is Art?" is a must read for all artists; written masterfully by one of the greatest writers to ever have lived.
#2201195 in eBooks 2013-10-10 2013-10-10File Name: B00FRJXO4S
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. great for film loversBy Celiavery informative and easy to read. not boring at all (but thats subjective; considering I like J-horror). good read for anyone who is into foreign cinema; especially horror films1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I enjoyed and appreciated the clarity of thought present throughout and ...By LeseparatistThe book attempts to make a relatively comprehensive comparison between Euroamerican and Japanese horror fiction; and it uses a large range of examples to make its points; covering such themes as ghosts; monsters (including vampires and werewolves but also other monsters) and religion-related horror. The conclusions are well argued and the sections dedicated to Japanese examples seemed particularly interesting to me as a person without any expertise. I enjoyed and appreciated the clarity of thought present throughout and the choice of relevant examples appeared fully justified (although I always want to discuss genre as a limiting factor). When the discussion shifted from more familiar examples to texts I have no or little knowledge of; I appreciated the clarity even more; and enjoyed the discussion as well as found it enlightening.Recommended for people interested in horror fiction; and particularly Japanese horror.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I really liked the fact that the author offers a variety of ...By MasamiA very interesting book for any horror fan or scholars interested in this topic. I really liked the fact that the author offers a variety of examples to support her claims. Also; the considerable number of said examples provides the reader with a good perspective on the ideas presented in each chapter. This book is one of the few that contains so much material on both American and Japanese horror texts and also includes elements of cultural background; which helps the reader better to understand each analysed text. What is really interesting about the chosen texts is that the author did not limit herself only to movies or books but also used texts from other media; like games or graphic novels. I sincerely recommend this book to anyone interested in horror fiction in general; and especially to people interested in Japanese horror - or to scholars interested in comparative literature focusing on Japanese fiction.