Aesthetics from Classical Greece to the Present (Studies in the Humanities: No. 13) [Paperback]

Monroe C. Beardsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1975 | ISBN-10: 0817366237 | ISBN-13: 978-0817366230 | Edition: 1

“Beardsley’s book accomplishes to perfection what the writer intended.  It illuminates an area of history from a certain perspective as was never done before. . . . The distinguishing feature of his book is a n excitement over everything I aesthetics that has to do with symbols, meanings, language, and modes of interpretation.  And this excitement has brought to light facets of the history f the subject never noticed before, or at least, not so clearly.” —The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Of the histories of aesthetics in English…Beardsley’s book is the best.  It is brisk, it is written in a clear plain style, and it is scholarly without being pretentious or overwhelming.

"For those of us who want to know what philosophers have said about beauty and the arts, this book will be especially useful.”—The Philosophical Review

"The depth of Beardsley's scholarly competence . . . speaks from every page.  He makes a masterful analysis of Aristotle’s concepts . . . Then follows his chapter on the Middle Ages, which is outstanding. . . . And so the book goes forward with penetrating analysis and unexpected relevancies.

“Beardsley’s book accomplishes to perfection what the writer intended.  It illuminates an area of history from a certain perspective as was never done before. . . . The distinguishing feature of his book is a n excitement over everything I aesthetics that has to do with symbols, meanings, language, and modes of interpretation.  And this excitement has brought to light facets of the history f the subject never noticed before, or at least, not so clearly.” —The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; 1 edition (October 30, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817366237
• ISBN-13: 978-0817366230
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,029,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference, July 12, 2005

By 

Bernie Koenig (London, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aesthetics from Classical Greece to the Present (Studies in the Humanities: No. 13) (Paperback)

I am currently working on my own project in aesthetics and hope to teach a course next year. Beardsley's book is a great reference, though I would not use it for a text unless I provided supplements to the class. One needs to see and hear examples of the art being discussed. His discussion of the figures is excellent, yet for an introductory course, one may want to have original sources to read.
What Beardsley does so well is to present every important view in historical context so that the reader gets a good idea of not only what the different views on art are, but why they were developed.
While it may not be a great text, it is a great resource.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Introduction, September 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Aesthetics from Classical Greece to the Present (Studies in the Humanities: No. 13) (Paperback)

I disagree with the previous reviewer. Although it might be possible to write a book that covered only the Major figures in aesthetics--Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, etc--I found this book very useful in getting a grasp of what has been said in the field of aesthetics throughout history, particularly medieval aesthetics, upon which it is very difficult to find information. In some cases, I don't quite agree with Beardsley's interpretation, but again, this is best read as an introduction to more serious studies in Aesthetics. Ultimately, only the primary sources are going to give you an understanding of their contents.

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Painfully cluttered, February 18, 2000

By 

R. Miller (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aesthetics from Classical Greece to the Present (Studies in the Humanities: No. 13) (Paperback)

I used this as a text for an undergraduate course in aesthetics. I would never use it again. Beardsley seems to not understand that one need not include EVERY detail regarding EVERY person who ever made a comment on some issue of aesthetics. The result is a confusing and cluttered read that drowns one in a myraid of loosely related facts. A bigger problem is: I'm not sure that anyone else tries to do what Beardsley does - present a survey, with analysis, of the history of western aesthetics.