A discussion of Theodor Adornorsquo;s Aesthetic Theory is bound to look significantly different today than it would have looked when the book was first published in 1970; or when it first appeared in English translation in the 1980s. In The Fleeting Promise of Art; Peter Uwe Hohendahl reexamines Aesthetic Theory along with Adornorsquo;s other writings on aesthetics in light of the unexpected return of the aesthetic to todayrsquo;s cultural debates.Is Adornorsquo;s aesthetic theory still relevant today? Hohendahl answers this question with an emphatic yes. As he shows; a careful reading of the work exposes different questions and arguments today than it did in the past. Over the years Adornorsquo;s concern over the fate of art in a late capitalist society has met with everything from suspicion to indifference. In part this could be explained by relative unfamiliarity with the German dialectical tradition in North America. Todayrsquo;s debate is better informed; more multifaceted; and further removed from the immediate aftermath of the Cold War and of the shadow of postmodernism.Adornorsquo;s insistence on the radical autonomy of the artwork has much to offer contemporary discussions of art and the aesthetic in search of new responses to the pervasive effects of a neoliberal art market and culture industry. Focusing specifically on Adornorsquo;s engagement with literary works; Hohendahl shows how radically transformative Adornorsquo;s ideas have been and how thoroughly they have shaped current discussions in aesthetics. Among the topics he considers are the role of art in modernism and postmodernism; the truth claims of artworks; the function of the ugly in modern artworks; the precarious value of the literary tradition; and the surprising significance of realism for Adorno.
#775219 in eBooks 2011-06-01 2011-06-01File Name: B00G28UI2E
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I would give it five stars but I am not sure this is a book for everyone but I loved it.By CustomerWell; that book was something. Kind of made me wish I knew him. He writes glibly about a crazy time in history; against the backdrop of that time (the 6os mostly) and his influence on the art and pop scene was modestly and funnily written about. I would give it five stars but I am not sure this is a book for everyone but I loved it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great Read About Artists and Fashion of the 60sBy Arielle ThomasAn easy but fascinating read about not only Andy Warhol; but all the stars who populated his famous Factory in the 60s in New York. It reads like a long; well-researched article in Vanity Fair with all the juicy gossip from that time and place. I enjoyed Googling the different members of his entourage to get a moredetailed look on their lives. The book is rich with details about fashion of that decade and who wore it first; and best.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Andy Warhol NiceBy CustomerThis book sews together many disparate strands of pop history. I found Warhols voice to be surprisingly nice; candid and sensitive; but maybe that was the co-authors invisible hand at work.