Nature of Aesthetic Value

Hugo A. Meynell is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary.

The Nature of Aesthetic Value proposes that aesthetic goodness, the property in virtue of which works of art are valuable, is a matter of their capacity in appropriate circumstances to give satisfaction. It inquires into the nature of this satisfaction, arguing that it consists of the extension and clarification of consciousness. This provides a basis for treatment of the ancient problem of the relation between cultivation of the arts and the pursuit and maintenance of the true and the good. The book summarizes critics' judgments and arguments on literature, the visual arts, and music, testing the author's theory about the nature of aesthetic opinion.

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. ON THE GROUNDS OF AESTHETIC VALUE 2. AESTHETIC SATISFACTION 3. GOODNESS IN LITERATURE Illustration and Demonstration of What is of Central Importance for Human LifeOriginality in Use of Language, and in Treatment of Plot, Character, etc.Representation of People, Things and CircumstancesOverall Unity in Variety of Substance and EffectSeriousness of ThemeOriginal Treatment of the Medium of Words and IdeasThe Bringing Out of How Things Are or Might BeOverall Unity of Substance and Effect 4. GOODNESS IN VISUAL ART Enhancement of Our Perception and ImaginationEmotional SignificanceUnity in Variety of Substance and Effect 5. GOODNESS IN MUSIC Exploitation of the Medium As SuchClarity and Intensity of Depiction of Emotion and Mood, and Importance of the Emotions or Moods in the Business of Human LivingUnity in Diversity Conclusion Notes and References Index