WHAT IS ART? & WHEREIN IS TRUTH IN ART? (Meditations on Aesthetics & Literature) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Essays on Aesthetics, Artistic Truth and Moral Philosophy in Russian LiteratureBy Leo Tolstoy
Length20h 48m
About this audiobook
In What Is Art? & Wherein Is Truth in Art?, Tolstoy advances one of the most uncompromising aesthetic theories of the nineteenth century. Rejecting art as mere beauty, pleasure, or cultivated refinement, he defines it as the sincere transmission of feeling from artist to audience. Written in a lucid, polemical, and morally urgent style, these meditations stand against fin-de-siècle aestheticism and academic criticism, placing literature, music, and painting under the scrutiny of ethical purpose. Tolstoy wrote from the vantage point of a novelist who had already transformed world literature with War and Peace and Anna Karenina, yet who later underwent a profound spiritual crisis. His religious and social convictions led him to distrust elite culture, institutional authority, and art divorced from common human experience. These essays reflect the mature Tolstoy's search for truth, simplicity, and universal brotherhood. This volume is essential for readers interested in aesthetics, literary criticism, Russian thought, or the moral responsibilities of culture. Even where Tolstoy is severe, his arguments remain bracing, provocative, and fertile, inviting readers to reconsider why art matters and whom it ought to serve.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- An Introduction draws the threads together, discussing why these diverse authors and texts belong in one collection.
- Historical Context explores the cultural and intellectual currents that shaped these works, offering insight into the shared (or contrasting) eras that influenced each writer.
- A combined Synopsis (Selection) briefly outlines the key plots or arguments of the included pieces, helping readers grasp the anthology's overall scope without giving away essential twists.
- A collective Analysis highlights common themes, stylistic variations, and significant crossovers in tone and technique, tying together writers from different backgrounds.
- Reflection questions encourage readers to compare the different voices and perspectives within the collection, fostering a richer understanding of the overarching conversation.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.5 (153)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads
GenrePhilosophy
Length20 hrs 48 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 5, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1WHAT IS ART? & WHEREIN IS TRUTH IN ART? (Meditations on Aesthetics & Literature) (Annotated)
26CHAPTER XVII
2Introduction
27CHAPTER XVIII
3Historical Context
28CHAPTER XIX
4Synopsis (Selection)
29CHAPTER XX
5Introduction
30APPENDIX I
Show all chaptersShow less
6Leo Tolstoy: A Short Biography
31APPENDIX II[127]
7Books
32APPENDIX III
8TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
33APPENDIX IV
9THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE
34Wherein Is Truth In Art?
10CHAPTER I
35On the Significance of Science and Art (pt. 1)
11CHAPTER II
36On the Significance of Science and Art (pt. 2)
12CHAPTER III
37Shakespeare and the Drama
13CHAPTER IV
38PART I (pt. 1)
14CHAPTER V
39PART I (pt. 2)
15CHAPTER VI
40Works of Guy de Maupassant
16CHAPTER VII
41A. Stockham's Tokology
17CHAPTER VIII
42Amiel's Diary
18CHAPTER IX
43S. T. Seménov's Peasant Stories
19CHAPTER X
44Stop and Think!
20CHAPTER XI
45Criticisms on Tolstoy
21CHAPTER XII
46“Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky”
22CHAPTER XIII
47My Literary Passions: “Tolstoy”
23CHAPTER XIV
48Essays on Russian Novelists: “Tolstoi”
24CHAPTER XV
49“Tolstoy the Artist” and “Tolstoy the Preacher”
25CHAPTER XVI
50TOLSTOY THE ARTIST.
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