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Cuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokémon, the works of artists Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum and E.T. - all reflect its gathering power. But what does "cute" mean, as a sensibility and style? Why is it so pervasive? Is it all infantile fluff, or is there something more uncanny and even menacing going on - in a lighthearted way? Simon May provides nuanced and surprising answers....
2) Rhetoric
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English
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Written sometime in the 4th Century BC, Aristotle's "Rhetoric" is the definitive treatise on the art of persuasive public speaking. The art of oratorical persuasion was an essential skill for the successful politician during the days of ancient Greece and Aristotle's "Rhetoric" is considered one of the greatest works from antiquity on the subject. Like many of the surviving works attributable to Aristotle, "Rhetoric" was not intended for public dissemination,...
3) What Is Art?
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While Tolstoy may be best remembered as the talented Russian author of such monumentally great works as "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", he also wrote prolifically in essay format on various subjects. In this volume Tolstoy turns his attention to the study of aesthetics and art in all its forms. Based on fifteen years of research, "What is Art?" is Tolstoy's intellectual exposition into answering the titular question. Rich with criticism for his...
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What is history and why should we study it? Is there such a thing as historical truth? Is history a science? One of the most accomplished historians at work today, John Lewis Gaddis, answers these and other questions in this short, witty, and humane book. The Landscape of History provides a searching look at the historian's craft, as well as a strong argument for why a historical consciousness should matter to us today. Gaddis points out that while...
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A seminal work of philosophy and an invaluable resource for students of aesthetics, this volume deeply influenced a generation of art historians. Author Benedetto Croce's theory that art is expression-his signature contribution to aesthetics-allowed art historians to accept many artifacts previously deemed unworthy of study as valuable contributions to the history of art.
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Originally published in 1907, this little volume presents M. Maeterlinck in a new character, not as a dramatist, but as a philosopher and an aesthetician. It is some sort of an 'apology' for his theatre. He visualises and synthesises his ideas of life and seems most anxious to share these thoughts with the reader. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive....
8) Wabi Sabi
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: LG - BL: 4.5 - AR Pts: 1
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English
Description
Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanese concept of beauty through simplicity as she asks various animals she meets about the meaning of her name.
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German philosopher and significant 18th century late Enlightenment thinker Immanuel Kant wrote "Critique of Judgment" in 1790 to solidify his ideas on aesthetics. Divided into two sections, one on aesthetic judgment and the other on teleological judgment, "Critique" proceeds to analyze the human experience of the beautiful and the sublime. From the effect of art and nature to the role of imagination, from objectivity of taste to the limits of representation,...
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More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane had put physics and geometry at the core of his music. Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander returns the favor, using jazz to answer physics' most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. Following the great minds that first drew the links between...
11) Ion
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An award-winning public reader of Homer discusses poetry and the nature of performance with the probing and insightful Socrates in Plato's immortal dialogue.
Ion, a professional rhapsode, performer of dramatic recitations of Homer and lecturer on poetry, has a revealing discussion with Socrates. Acclaimed for the power of his performances, Ion becomes so involved in performing that he feels the emotions described in his story and expects them to...
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"Zena Hitz, Winner of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, The Dallas Institute" "Seminary Coop's Notable Books for 2020" "A London Lyceum Top Book of the Year" Zena Hitz is a Tutor in the great books program at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, where she also lives. She has a PhD in ancient philosophy from Princeton University and studies and teaches across the liberal arts. Website: zenahitz.net Twitter @zenahitz
An invitation to readers...
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Ranging from a few words to a few pages, the aphorisms in Human, All Too Human present Friedrich Nietzsche's thoughts on a variety of subjects, including the nature of reality (metaphysics); moral feelings, especially the concepts of good and evil; the argument that great art is the product of hard work as opposed to 'genius' and inspiration; free-thinking; the evolution of men, women and children; and the limitations that people put on their own...
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A philosopher makes the case for thinking of works of art as tools for investigating ourselves
In his new book, Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature, the philosopher and cognitive scientist Alva Noë raises a number of profound questions: What is art? Why do we value art as we do? What does art reveal about our nature? Drawing on philosophy, art history, and cognitive science, and making provocative use of examples from all three of these fields,...
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Français
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Une édition de référence du Portrait de Dorian Gray d'Oscar Wilde, spécialement conçue pour la lecture sur les supports numériques.
« J'établis une grande différence entre les gens. Je choisis mes amis pour leur bonne mine, mes simples camarades pour leur caractère, et mes ennemis pour leur intelligence ; un homme ne saurait trop attacher d'importance au choix de ses ennemis ; je n'en ai point un seul qui soit un sot ; ce sont tous hommes...
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James Allen (1864—1912) was a British philosophical writer famous for writing many early inspirational books and poetry, as well as being a pioneer of the self-help movement. In this 1907 work, Allen continues his quest to reveal the true path to success in a world full of obstacles. Characteristically, he advises on both the spiritual and the practical, helping the reader understand the power of thought and use it to achieve success and prosperity....
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Join the art critic Ben Eastham on a private tour of an extraordinary, imaginary museum. Stand in front of some of the most incomprehensible art works in the world with an expert guide by your side, full of personal stories, expertise and human understanding.
In a stunningly original memoir and art guide we find ourselves among outrageous artworks, and we return again and again to the same question:
“But what does it mean?”
With the help of...