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"It is an assumption of this book that art is a gift, not a commodity."
Hyde opens his treatise on the nature of Art as a gift with anthropological studies of gift exchange coupled with folklore. The diverse sources provide an excellent depiction of the two economies in which the artist (and her art) must participate. One economy is the visible, capitalistic one of which we are all aware in a daily, accounting-ledger way. This is the economy of commerce, and Hyde traces the origins of capitalistic wealth and usury, plumbing the disconnect between the "evergreen value" of art and the banal "exhaustible" value of capitalistic wealth. In opposition is the second economy, that of the gift. The gift economy is spiritual in nature, and the primary difference between it and commercial economy is that grasping at or hoarding a gift destroys the gift economy. The gift must move to participate in the economy, and many of the folktales illustrate that treating a gift as a commodity results in loss, sorrow, or even death.
Perhaps understanding how opposed such an economy is to our (Western) way of coalescing and amassing fortunes, Hyde provides a modern day example of the gift economy: Alcoholics Anonymous. In AA, the newcomer is taught that to keep the gift of sobriety, she must someday pass the gift of her hope, strength and experience to someone else. Like the gifts in the various anthropological studies, the value of the AA teachings are in the sharing of them, to wit the AA saying, "You have to give it away to keep it." In terms of an artist and her art, however, issues become blurry because there is the persistent need of the artist to clothe, feed, and shelter herself.Read more ›
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Deserves a constellation of stars. I have read this book many times, and just recently read it again, and it is even better than I remembered. There is now an entire literature on the relationship between a gift economy and a market economy, spawned in part by work of Jacques Derrida and others in the higher reaches of theology (e.g. the grace of God as a gift). But this book was in there first, is still better to my mind, full of sudden insight, easy to read, beautifully written, life changing. The amusing thing is that the author is under the impression that it is about artists: that is a tiny fraction of its insight -- it is really an attack on the entire world view in which we operate, and opens up whole ranges of spiritual understanding. A well run society would send a free gift copy to everyone.
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
I enjoy reading books that expand my perspective, but this is one of the rare books that has truly altered it, or at least given me notice that alteration is necessary.
What served me best in reading this book was the fact that it was one of only two I brought for a very long trip. This meant that I had plenty of time and less reason to be distracted. With this time I was able to pace myself through a somewhat slow beginning, tolerate the re-telling of some stories with which I was already familiar, and, by the end of Part 1, be willing to write a 4-star review of how amazing it was that Lewis Hyde could have so presciently defined the logic and sensibilities of the free software and free culture movements that would blossom within ten years of the book being published. His telling of the real establishment of capitalism--that begin with Martin Luther rather than Adam Smith, and the concomitant destruction of charitable customs in Western nations provide a far more cogent explanation of both the moral bankruptcy and the actual bankruptcy of globalism than I've heard in more than one hundred hours of NPR news stories. And his explanations are spot-on for what I am seeing as a person who is involved with, and invests in, community development and sustainability. Indeed, I think it would make especially good reading in faith communities that also have a social community mission.
Then Mr. Hyde lets the other shoe drop: "the gift" describes not only the cultural practices that made economies flourish under conditions beyond the abilities or cares of capitalism, but also the human practices that enable the "genius" of creativity to flourish. The depth of his insights are staggering, and in the end they recontextualized a good portion of my own liberal arts education.
I am delighted to have read it, and look forward to applying its lessons to everything I do going forward, starting with buying enough copies to begin giving them away...
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Beautifully written, thought-provoking history of humankind's struggle with culture, possessions, commerce, through the annals of religion, societal mores, and how it applies to all of our lives, especially the arts. A different way of seeing our 'gifts' of talent, as well as how we deal with others in business. I would love for this book to be required reading for all MBA's!
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You might find it just a trace tedious at first but please trust me, as you go along this fellow's point[s] will pile up and help re-adjust your outlook in a VERY positive way.
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Reading The Gift, by Lewis Hyde is an intellectual and spiritual "retreat" experience. I find myself dipping into it, absorbing the concepts a little at a time. I believe that incorporating some of Lewis Hyde's ideas into my own life has allowed me to savor situations more vividly. I would prefer that "Left Brain" people and attitudes should stay in charge of making the trains and airplanes run on time, but cultivating the "Right Brain" in daily living enriches the whole experience. Reading the book, I see material things and ownership in a more existential, relaxed way.
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This item: The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World
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