Summary
Levin L. Schucking: The Sociology of the Formation of Literary Taste
There are many different factors thanks to which we consider a work of art to be valuable, and they are, as is known, largely dependent on various non-literary events and ways of perception. In contrast to today's completely prevailing understanding of a work as a self-sufficient entity that derives its own value either from the genius of the author or from some established canons that ensure its durability, for the modern understanding of literature, the number of readers, positive critical acclaim, as well as the agility of publishers and writers' managers are crucial. In other words, so far the history of literature has dealt too much with the artist and the work of art, and too little with shaping the audience's artistic taste and the sociological position of the artist. This short, somewhat dry, but expertly written book is based on the thesis that the coincidence of liking works of art does not result from their immanent quality, but is part of a complex process in which various material forces participate, such as ideology, politics or certain profane trends that become bearers of the taste of a certain era. This immediately raises two important questions: first, to what extent is the artistic style of a certain time an internal necessity and is there even such a thing as the spirit of the time and, second, what is the aesthetic instance that pronounces judgment?
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