Reading Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art: Selected Texts with Interactive Commentary (Reading Philosophy) (Paperback) - Common

by Christopher Janaway

Designed for readers with no or little prior knowledge of the subject, this concise anthology brings together key texts in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. Two contrasting views are presented on each of six topics, with the texts either reprinted in their entirety or extracted where appropriate. They range from Plato 's famous critique of art in the Republic, through Nietzsche 's The Birth of Tragedy, to Barthes ' The Death of the Author, and pieces in recent philosophical aesthetics from a number of traditions.Each of the texts is accompanied by interactive editorial commentary, helping the reader to engage with the philosophical train of thought. The commentary explains the argumentative and historical context in which the piece was written, and draws out related methodological issues. Where relevant, the editor also highlights concerns about the nature of the subject, suggesting that much of what is discussed under the label 'aesthetics ' is, in fact, better termed 'philosophy of art '. For each topic, questions for debate and a short annotated bibliography are provided.

Genres: Philosophy

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2005

About the author

Christopher Janaway (BA, DPhil Oxford) is a philosopher and author. Before moving to Southampton in 2005, Janaway taught at the University of Sydney and Birkbeck, University of London. His recent research has been on Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and aesthetics. Janaway currently lectures at the University of Southampton, including a module focusing on Nietzsche.

Reviews

[Konstanty Gołda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great book for you to help you classify your thinking about art and to find out what do you need to read about more.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introductory book into the philosophy of art. The commentary provides questions for the student to think about and offers a way for them to make critical evaluations of the texts.