The Art of Literature and the Art of Controversy

by Arthur Schopenhauer, Thomas Bailey Saunders (Translator)

"The Art of Literature and The Art of Controversy" is a collection of essays by famed German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. In this work you will find two collections of essays which include the On Authorship, On Style, On the Study of Latin, On Men of Learning, On Thinking for Oneself, On Some Forms of Literature, On Criticism, On Reputation, On Genius, The Art of (1. Logic and Dialectic, 2. The Basis of all Dialectic, 3. Stratagems), On the Comparative Place of Interest and Beauty in Works of Art, Psychological Observations, On the Wisdom of Aphorisms, Genius and Virtue.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Writing, Audiobook, Literature, Literary Criticism, Classics

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Arthur Schopenhauer was born in the city of Danzig (then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; present day Gdańsk, Poland) and was a German philosopher best known for his work The World as Will and Representation. Schopenhauer attempted to make his career as an academic by correcting and expanding Immanuel Kant's philosophy concerning the way in which we experience the world.

He was the son of author Johanna Schopenhauer and the older brother of Adele Schopenhauer.

Reviews

[arg/machine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic essays by Schopenhauer. In the public domain, with free electronic copies here & here.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'd rather hide his bloated "idealist system" behind the Arby's lest anyone see and be embarrassed by it, Schopenhauer was a brilliant essayist. Nasty little man with sideburns a lil' too long–I can relate–but he had a sober mind and a capacity to write a short, punch essay–I cannot relate.


I wish he would've criticized AI and the Denver Broncos more heavily, but I'll give him benefit of the doubt; maybe the book was finished on a Saturday.

[Sagar Saxena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts off like a grumpy old man's rant about how the world is too stupid to note him,to praise him.However,wisdom soon starts to appear on the horizon.And there is a lot of good stuff here.This is the first book I have read that puts such emphasis on learning via non-book methods.Schopenhauer insists and insists on developing and maintaining a personal viewpoint about the world.A viewpoint as independent as possible.He even advises seclusion and total freedom from social circles,so that a person's stream of thought doesn't get polluted. Thus,he criticizes Pliny's insane reading habits...he says it's almost as if he didn't have any personal thoughts or that he was too scared of them!

Most of Schopenhauer's assertions are binary.Thus,in many cases he abhors certain ways of life,schools of thought and even 'virtues' like modesty.His argument being that modesty implies giving a higher value to the opinion of others and thus,your own thoughts/opinions get affected.Schopenhauer seems to delight in making good metaphors and to his credit,9 out of 10 of his metaphors are excellent.He also seems especially eager to name drop.Thus,Fichte,Hegel are ridiculed while Goethe,Jean Paul,etc. are praised.

You may agree or disagree with his views on certain things and certain aspects of life.However,the complete work has enough food for thought.This is a very discussion worthy book..especially his views on learning,metaphors,pretentious writing,immortality through literature,etc.

Give it a bit of time past the ranting phases and you should be rewarded.I recommend this book.

P.S.: This review does not cover 'The Art of Controversy' which I plan to read soon.

[Robert Poortinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not like to write reviews on books but I do think that this book deserves to be put in the spotlights, since it is relatively unknown and definitely overlooked.

This book is definitely a must for any musician, writer, sculpture or anyone who is involved/interested in any form of arts. It is a critique and one can agree or disagree with him but the thought-provoking, clearly prose that Schopenhauer uses is a true joy for the reader.

Though written in the 19th century, and especially with the recent advancements of the last 50 years in technology, it is still up to date and should be read by any person interested in the arts.

[MJD · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really shows in these essays that the author was bitter for not being appreciated much in his time, and it really shows that he was right to be bitter in that he has a lot of interesting things to say.

[Fearless Leader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, and to the point.

[Rahat Rubayet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best books I have ever read.
Schopenhauer at his best. Especially, On the wisdom of life. (Chapter 9)
"Recognize the truth in yourself, recognize yourself in the truth and in the same moment you will find to your astonishment that the home which you have long been looking for in vain which has filled your most ardent dreams is there in its entirety with every detail of it true in the very place where you stand it is there that your heaven touches your earth."

[junyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo! This book is so provoking, it literally change my views on reading, thinking and education. Reading can never replace thinking. Not everyone is able to think independently, and thinking independently cannot happens at anytime——the sparkles of brain are so precious.
In this case, I would rather read for fun in order to keep my brain fresh and be in the condition of creativity.
People who receive high education aren’t necessarily superior to people who aren’t lucky enough to get those opportunities. I tend to believe that whether a person can have the ability to think, to a large extent, depends on their fortune🔮
However, can Arthur Schopenhauer please, hold back your prejudice and discrimination towards women for one time? It’s really annoying those shallow comments appearing in such a wonderful book.

[AD Elmisurati · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very interesting book by a very interesting person.
Arthur surely knows a lot the importance of dialectic and in this collection of essays and writing he share some important patterns and even pitfall in the common arguments and debates.
this book can be a deadly weapon if read and applied by the right person.
if anything unfortunately i found it too short, as if this work of genius has ended prematurely.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

the two titular essays here are the main event - I suppose "The Art of Controversy" has aged well due to its evergreen nature - but "On Genius," while quite silly, is also deeply affecting. It's probably best to wait until your late 20s to read this stuff, lest it have the effect that early-20s Nietzsche did with me. These are (surprisingly, I suppose) works for old men, born out of experience/wisdom/observation much more than formal logic.

[Edward Weiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short free audiobook from LibriVox. Never read anything by Schopenhauer before and I doubt I will ever read anything else that he has written.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts off like a history lesson on the etymology of words, then like a manual for lawyers, and it finishes with pessimistic philosophy akin to Nietzsche

[Sami Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book to read. This should be taught in school, especially in current political climate!

[Boro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though as the book ends, it spirals down way too much into a rant, all these stars are dedicated to the first three chapters. It has been a while since I last got intellectually slapped.

[Julien Lengrand-Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still very relevant today.
Great to recall when watching political debates. ...

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated. Simple. A bit odd and contrary to some simple scruples of modern ideology. It wasn’t terrible, but it was a bit random and rambling.

[Miller Raybon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, now I need to learn Latin.

[Shashwat · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a drawl, Schopenhauer.

[Neek Veltri · Rating 5 out of 5]

He’s so cunty I’m obsessed

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disagree with nearly everything Schopenhauer writes, but I just love his voice. He is so delightfully grumpy.

[ei_tc Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audio version is excellent and makes for compelling listening.

[يُسْرُبيلْ]

16/09/2017

A First Read — Still Far From Understanding

I think I understood about 10% of this book. Most of the ideas were beyond my current English and philosophical background. The vocabulary was advanced and packed with meaning I couldn't fully grasp.

I also didn’t like the idea that an argument could ignore truth or morality. That made me disgusted, and I couldn’t tell if the author agreed with it or was describing it. The part I liked most was the ending, especially the quote from Aristotle, where he talks about who is worth arguing with, and how peace and truth are sometimes in tension.

This review isn’t a final judgment, it’s just a bookmark in my learning process. I’ll return to this book after more growth in both philosophy and English. For now, I’m grateful that it challenged me.

Tentative rating: 3 stars, with room to rise on a second reading.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

To briefly summarize: if you are lucky enough to have your own creative vision, follow it!

[Marijke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes tedious, beating a (dead) horse to death, nevertheless a very enlightening experience. My Kindle version did not include The Art of Controversy.

[Rand Muayed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t like the Arabic translation so I listened to the audiobook in English. I feel sad for not knowing German, I wonder how much I’m missing out.

[Beatrix Tung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh well.