Art and Beauty

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  “But the voice of our age seems by no means favorable to art, at all events to that kind of art to which my inquiry is directed. The course of events has given a direction to the genius of the time that threatens to remove it continually further from the ideal of art. For art has to leave reality, it has to raise itself bodily above necessity and neediness; for art is the daughter of freedom, and it requires its prescriptions and rules to be furnished by the necessity of spirits and not by that of matter. But in our day it is necessity, neediness, that prevails, and bends a degraded humanity under its iron yoke.” —J. C. Friedrich von Schiller. “Letters upon the Æsthetic Education of Man.” (1795)

Pre-Book Review: "An Incomplete Education" by Judy Jones and William Wilson

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Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader has a contender! Just found a book I am going to review it before I actually read it. Judy Jones and William Wilson (there’s an education in that name--calling to mind Edgar Allan Poe--which hints as to why a book like this can be fun) published this third edition in 2009 with Ballantine.

 The book covers highlights in twelve subject areas that we either forgot or slept through in school: American Studies, Art History, Economic, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science and World History. Browsing the book, one notes witty writing in short articles. Even the Lexicon presents itself to be a readable 13th chapter.

10,000 years in only 700 pages. I expect plenty of springboards for future blogs to be found within!

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