how is literature a work of art?

Question

I'm writing a critical theory essay, and my english teacher hasn't really explained how to prove that literature is art. How do I prove that, I have to write an essay on three different novels: there are no children here, The Alchemist and the Curious Incident of the Dog in the night time. How do I prove that these three books are art?

Answer 1

Art can be defined as an attempt to imitate, recreate, or better nature or reality.

With this definition in mind, read the essay on "Literature and Reality" linked below, and I hope everything will drop magically into place !

Good luck with your essay.

Answer 2

Anything produced via creativity is considered art, thus it makes sense that writing (as in producing books) should be a form of art too. As a matter of fact even the essay that you are writing can be considered art, for you are creating something which had not existed before. The books' artistic value differs from each other as it is perceived by the readers - each valuing the book differently. There is no question that books are art, the only question is the artistic value as you perceive, or evaluate it. I haven't read any of the books you've mentioned, yet I am sure that you are bound to find something interesting and of value in each of them. Take that which you find interesting or of value and use that as your poof of the artistic value of the book.

Answer 3

The most straightforward way to do this would be to open with a definition of "art" by borrowing from history -- Aristotle's quote that the purpose of art is to instruct and delight, maybe something from Sir Philip Sydney's "In Defence of Poetry," maybe other quotes about art. Filter them all through your own sensibility and come up with a working definition. Then take a couple of paragraphs for each book, showing elements from the books that resemble your definition of "art."

I'd write this in the classic way: an introductory thesis paragraph that said you were going to show the relationship of these books to art by first defining art; then a paragraph or two defining art for the purpose of the paper. Next, write a couple of paragraphs on each book linking it back to a characteristic of your definition of art, and finally add a conclusion that ties it all together and summarizes the main points. (This is a great rule of thumb for writing ANY essay: tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what you told them.)

For extra focus, I'd make sure that my definition of "art" included individual characteristics that let me be specific about each work -- how art uses eternal themes that apply universally to the human condition, for instance, and then show how "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" does that, for example; then how art uses metaphor and imagery to represent greater themes and show how "The Alchemist" does that. (Again, not having read these specific books I'm having to make this up as I go.) Get the idea? This does two things: first, it lets you say DIFFERENT things about each book, which is always more interesting for the reader; and second, it allows you to use the example of each book to reinforce a different portion of your definition of "art."

Alternatively, you could talk about different styles or schools of art (that is, painting), and show how each of the books is like a specific style of painting in some way. I haven't, unfortunately, read any of those three books, but you could write a very interesting essay by comparing, say, the way that "The Alchemist" uses allusions and imagery like Vermeer, choosing passages from the book that describe light and shadow the way Vermeer's paintings did (or Picasso or Dali or whoever the book reminds you of). You'd have to know a fair bit about art (or at least a few artists) to do this, of course, but it could be a very interesting essay. But I'd probably concentrate on the first method, as it's a more classic example of expository prose, and you can't go wrong with that format.

Answer 4

All books are art. The author takes time and patience in choosing the right words to fit in each sentence, and the right sentences in each paragraph. If something does not sound right in context, no matter how good it may be by itself, it must be changed. Paragraph divisions and chapter divisions are all things which are thought out carefully and precisely.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Art is a product of human imagination and ingenuity combined in such a way as to delight, intrigue and beguile the consumer.

This applies to literature completely.

Answer 6

Some literature (like art) is pleasing to the soul.

There is one passage (Utterance; 572 § 1472) - from the ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts that I find particularly alluring. Isis is speaking to Thoth:

"How lovely to see, how pleasing to behold! says Isis, when you ascend to the sky, your power upon you, your terror about you, your magic at your feet - the gods who are in the sky are brought to you, the gods who are on earth assemble for you, they place their hands under you, they make a ladder for you that you may ascend on it to the sky."

Here is the image of Thoth that Isis was referring to - notice the steps (ladder) below Thoths feet)
http://did-asp.ti-edu.ch/~ges/ritadoris/images/nasca%204.jpg
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