Aesthetics and Politics (Radical Thinkers) Paperback – January 17, 2007

An outstanding collection of dialogic essays gathered from the key years of Imperial crisis surrounding the rise of Fascism and leading up to WWII. The great figures collected here exchange disagreements vis-à-vis the status of modern aesthetics in the 20th century. We see here Lukacs' famous critique of the avant-garde movements in literature, which is then rebuked by mordantly brilliant works of criticism from Brecht and Adorno. This is an absolutely vital collection for anyone interested in the history of political aesthetics in the 20th century.

This was the last shuddering crisis in modern philosophy. Fascism was on the rise and those intellectuals who had so much hope in a revolution after the carnage World War I in Western Europe were faced with an aesthetic crisis. This collection of writings by Neo-Marxist cultural critics essentially foretells the insanity of the Holocaust through a careful analysis of bourgeois capital and its effects on society. This is not a light read, but will change your understanding of humanity.

Fruitfully contributes to discussion on the historical role of art and how art relates to the struggle for revolutionary socialism/communism. The kind of revolutionary communism that existed in China when Mao Tse-tung was the primary leader. That China (unlike today's China) was a true socialist society. Maoist China strove to eventually abolish all classes and eliminate all exploitation and oppression.

Excellent read ..

For the true artist and philosopher interested in an Art's era journey. An in depth account of Expressionism's claim to fame.

very good

Great

This is awell-chosen and well-done collection of critical essays that with both its chronological structure and its particular selections highlights the interplay between a select group of thinkers that were central to a certain Germanic-Marxist tradition, including representatives from the famous Frankfurt School of philosophy. It traces the central problems and positions debated within this tradition during the crucial years between the two world wars, before Marxist-oriented cultural criticism was taken over by the French post-war Marxists such as Debord et al. and the New Left, who radically shifted the debate into new directions. The book is edited with a critical conclusion by Frederic Jameson, one of today's major thinkers in this tradition, so I am not sure why it is listed as by Adorno, or in some cases Adorno and Benjamin: It is a collection of critical essays, not a book by Adorno or Benjamin, though both have pieces in it. A previous reviewer has already given a fairly good synopsis of the flavor of the debate involved [see the "an invaluable volume" review].It is an excellent primer for anyone studying 20th century criticism or interested in Marxist cultural critique. However, if a reader is to use this text as their only look at Marxist criticism, they should be warned that this book does not reflect the full range of the mature work of several of the writers involved, in particular Adorno and Benjamin, both of whom dealt forcefully with problems well outside the confines of this collection; and such reader should also be aware that that the Marxist tradition contains texts, such as those within the aforementioned French post-war tradition, that take the line of discussion into entirely different directions. Jameson's editorial essay is a welcome contemporary contribution and will be of great use to the student or newcomer to this line of discourse. The essays are relatively accessible, though it is important to have some sense of the historical context and experience of the literature and artworks discussed. A good upper division or graduate level text.

liked it.

Mostly letters and Essays from giants in the field of Aesthetics. Got this to compliment my University reading. Love this field of work & research, as it was totally new to me at the start of the year, now I'm hooked. Will be looking at others in this series.

Bought as a gift. The recipient was very pleased with it.

the quality of the paper is unbelievably bad and it makes the words printed blur

The book I purchased was in perfect conditions as descripted. The wait for it was a bit long, but still, it arrived before the last expected day.