The aesthetic dimension toward a critique of Marxist aesthetics

101 Pages·1978·1.253 MB·English

by  Marcuse, Herbert

THEA ESTHETII
DlmEDSIOD
TOWARDA CRITIQOUFE
MARXISATE STHETICS
HERBERT
MARC USE
BeacoPnr essB oston
Originaplulbyl ishienGd e rmanu ndetrh et itDliee P ermanenz
derK unstW:i dere ineb estimmMtaer xistiscAhees thetik
(MunichC:a rlH anseVre rlacgo,p yright1©9 77
by HerberMta rcuse)
Englivsehr sitorna nslaatneddr evisbeydH erberMta rcuse
andE ricSah erovecro,p yri©g h1t978
BeacoPnr esbso oksa rep ublishuendd etrh ea uspisc oeft he
UnitariUanni versaAlsissotc iation
Publishseidm ultaneoiunsC layn adbay F itzhenr&y W hiteside
LimiteTdo,r onto
Allr ighrtse served
Printiendt heU niteSdt atoefsA merica
9 8 76 5 34 2 1
-9 8 7 6 5 4 32
LibraroyfC ongreCsast alogiinnPg u blicatDiaotna
MarcusHee,r ber1t8,96- -
Thea esthedtimiecn sion.
TranslatoifoD ni eP ermanendze rK unst.
Bibliograpp.h y:
Includes index.
1.M arx,K arl1,8 18-18-83A esthet-icAsd dresses,
essaylse,c tures1.. T itle.
B3305.M74M351139 78 335.4'11 76--9001
ISBN0 -8070-1518-0
Eantents
Acknowledgmentsv ii
Preface ix
I 1
n 22
m 40
IV 54
v 62
Conclusion 71
Notes 75
Bibliography 81
Index 83
v

AEknawledgments
EricSah erovhears gitvheemn a nuscrai cprti tical
readifnrgo mth e firsdtr afttot hefi navle rsion.
Sheh asd iscuswsietdmh e everpyar agrapahn,d
insisotnei dm provem.eT nhtislsi tbtolkoe isd edi­
catedt oh erm:y wifef,r ienadn,dc ollaborator.
Intensdiivsec usswiiotnmhsy frienLdeso·
LowenthaanldR einhaLredt tau heaevnae g rbeat
helapn da greaptl easuLreeoL. o wenthhaals
agaipnr ovehdi rse putataisao fi ne rcree adaenrd
criic;tR einhaLredt tahua sd emonstrated that
authenltiitce rature-liatse rraetnsucirese-t ias
stiplolss ibtloed ay.
My stepsOosnhsa a ndMi chaeNle umann
gavme e stimulastuigngge st:iM oincshabeylh is
encouragcionmgm en,tO sshai nl ivecloyn versations
abouhti osw nw orki na rt.
My sonP etewrh,o sew orki nu rbapnl anning
ledu st oc ommonp roblse,hm asa gainb eena
dear frainedan dd visor.
Ia mp articuglraartleytf ouC la therAisnmean n
whot ypeadb ouhta laf d ozevne rsioofnt sh is
essya-andl ikeidt .
My debtto tahees thetthieco royfT heodor
W. Adornod oenso tr equiarneys peciaficc­
knowledegnmt.
vii

PrelaEe
Thiess sya seektsoc ontritbouM taer xiasets thetics
throuqguhe stiointipsnr ge dominoarntth oyd.ox
By" orthodoIux nyd"e rsttahniedn terpreotfa tion
thequ aliatnydt rutohfa w orko fa rti nt ermosf
thet otaloiftt hype r evairleilnagt ioofpn rso duction.
Specifictahlilisyn ,t erprehtoaltditsoh nat th ew ork
ofa rrte prestehneti sn terestwso ralondud t look
ofp articsuolcairca lla ssienas m oreo rl ess
accuramtaen ne.r
My criqtuieo f tohritsh odiosxg yr oundiend
Marxsitt heoirny asmuacshi ta lsvoi ewasr itn
thec onteoxftt hep revaisloincgir aelli aotnasn,d
ascritboea sra tp olitfiucnaclt ainonda p olitical
poten.tB iuatli nc ontrtaoso tr thodMoaxr xist
aestheIts iectesh epo litipcoatle ntoifaa rlit n a rt
itseilntf h,ea estheftoircma ss uc.hF urthermIo re,
arguteh abty v irtoufe iatess theftoir,cma rits
a
largealuyt onomovuissv is the sgoicvireaenll a­
tinosI.n i tasu toonmya rbto tphr otetshtessr ee­
latinosa,n da t tshamee timter anscetnhdes.m
Therebayr st ubvetrhtesd ominacnotn sciosuss,n e
theo rdinaerxyp erience.
Somep reliamriyrn emakrs:a lthoutghhi s
essya speakosf" arti"ng ener,ma yl discusissi on
essentifaolcluyso endl iteraptruirmea,r tihley
literature of tahned n eiingehtteeecenentnthth u ries.
ix
I do fneoeqtlu alifiteot da lk ambuosuitac n dt he
visuaartls t,h ougIhb eelviet hawth at hotlrduse
forl iteramtuurtea,mt uitsa nidsm,a ya lsaop ply
tot hesaer tSse.c ondilnyr ,e feretnotc hees election
oft hew orks dis,ct uhseos bejdecttihoanIt o per­
atwei tah s elf-valihdyaptoitnhges seiesmj sus tifi.e d
It ertmh osew ork"sa uthenotri" cg"r eawth"i ch
fulfialels thectriict eprrieav ioudselfiyn eadsc on­
In
stituotfi" vauet hentoir"c g"r eaatr."t deefnse,
Iw oulsday thatth roughtohuelt o nhgi osrtyo f
arta,n d sipni otfec hangeisnt as,tt eheriesa
stanrddaw hicrhe maicnosn asnttT.h iss tandd ar
noto nlayl louwsst od istingbueitswhe "ehni gh"
and" trivliiatle"r a,ot puerreaan do peretctoam,e dy
p
ands lasticbku,ta lsboe twegeono da ndb ada rt
withtihne sgee nreTsh.e riesa demonstrqauballei ­
tatidvieff erebnectew eSehna ksepea'rsce omedies
andt heR estoraCtoimoend ,yb etweGeone the's
andS chiller'sb eptoweemeBsna,l za'csC omedie
humaiannedZ olaR'osu gon-qMuaacrt.
Artc anb ec allreedv olutiionns aervye rsaeln s.e s
Ina narrsoewn ,sa ermta yb er evolutiiofn ary
itr epresae nrtasd iccahla ngiens tyalned t ech­
niqu.Se uchc hangmea yb et hea chievemoefan t
genuianvea nt-gaarndtei,ac tiinpgo rr eflecting
X
substacnhtainagilent s h seo ciaetlt ayr gTeh.u s,'
expressainodns iusrmr eaalnitsimc itphadete e­d
structiovfme onneospsoc layp itaalnidts hme,
emergeonfnc ewe g oaolfrs a dicchaaln Bguett.h e
mere"ltye chndiecfianli"ot fir oenv olutionary
arsta ynso thaibnogut th qeu aloiftt hywe o rk,.
nothaibnogiu ttas u thenatnidtc riuttyh .
Beyotnhdi asw ,o rokf a rcta nb ec alled
revolurtyii fob,nyv a irtoufte h aee sthtertaincs �
formatiirtoe np,r esientn hteesx ,e mplfaartoyef
indivitdhupear lesv,a iulnifnrge eadnodtm h ree ­
bellfionrgc tehsub,sr eaktihnrgo utghmhey stified
(anpde trisfioecdir)ae la laintdoy p,e nitnhge
horizoofcn h an(glei ber.a tion)
Int hisse nseev,e aruyt hewnotriokcf a rt
woulbder evolutii.osenua.br,vy e,r osfpi evrec ep­
tioann du nderstaanndi inndgi,c tomfte hnte
establriesahletidht aeyp ,p earoafnt chieem age
ofl iberaThtiiswo onu.lh do ltdr uoeft hcel assical
dramaasw elalsB rechptl'a,syo sfG oethWeah'ls­
vewrandtschaaswf etlaelsGn U ntGerra sHsu'nsd e­
jahroefW, i lliBalma kaesw elalsR imbaud.
Theo bvidoiuffse riennt chere e presentation
oft hseu bverpsoitveeni tsdi uaetl o t hdei fference
ins ocisatlr ucwtiutrwheh icthh ewsoer kasr e
confrotnhtdeei ds:t riobfuo tpiporne sasmioonng
xi