Marxist aesthetics

[Jon Beasley-Murray <jpb8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've been skimming all too briefly through the posts on culture
(supposedly what I study), but was interested by Ralph's point that there
can be no such thing as a Marxist-Leninist aesthetics.

I agree, but I suspect for very different reasons than does Ralph, and I
would be interested to hear his reasons (if indeed they are different).

Myself, I think that left has to be against aesthetics.  Aesthetics are
inevitably a mystification, especially in so far as they are formalized
into a regulated system of aesthetic judgment.

On this, I guess I broadly agree with Bourdieu in _Distinction_ (or, in
different ways, with John Berger's first essay in _Ways of Seeing_,
itself essentially an update of Benjamin's "Work of Art" essay).

But I do like Springsteen.

Take care

Jon

Jon Beasley-Murray
Literature Program
Duke University
jpb8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/~spoons


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