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Monroe C. Beardsley
Monroe C. Beardsley
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extend access to The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism
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Upsala College
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Reviews 145
Uniqueness of a Work of Art" argues that the"Emotions and Emotional Qualities," is con-
principles by which we individuate works of cerned with the attribution of qualities and ef-
art preclude the application to them of uni- fects to works of art; though he holds that
versalizable evaluations, though she proposes much talk about emotions in art is most sensi-
that we can nevertheless give reasons for our bly construed as description of "emotional
evaluations by a "paradigm-case method" which qualities" ("The music is somber"), he also
exhibits "ostensive general principles of evalua- argues that "highly particularized (and aes-
tion." In her essay on "Particular Works of thetically relevant) feelings" do occur in aes-
Art," Jeanne Wacker's concept of a work of thetic experience.
art, or more specifically a visual work of art, as Sibley's paper has, of course, opened up some
a particular sort of "look"-a type, rather than very promising and interesting lines of thought,
a token-created by the artist, is somewhat simi-which Sibley himself and others (notably Isabel
lar to Meager's. But she does not believe that Hungerland) have pursued. A number of the
this view makes it hopeless to seek for "inter-issues here are still subject to dispute: how aes-
esting philosophical generalizations." Morris thetic qualities are to be distinguished from
Weitz, in his "Reasons in Criticism," denies that others, whether attributions of them are in
there are necessary or sufficient conditions ofsome respects subjective or relative, what rela-
"dramatic greatness" in plays, but allows that tionship they have to aesthetic value. These
the critic can give reasons. His criterion of a issues are connected with others that have been
good critical reason is "unchallengeability": under serious discussion: for example, the
that the question why it is relevant "cannot be question (discussed by Virgil Aldrich and George
intelligibly asked." Dickie) whether there is a peculiar aesthetic
What is suggested by a rereading of these attitude or way of perceiving. I believe this
essays (and a recollection of the seminal Stuart whole area of inquiry is far from having been
Hampshire essay on "Logic and Criticism" which fully exploited, and will prove fertile.
is acknowledged by the first three essays above) (3) Cognitive aspects of literature. Margaret
is that the basic problem of the nature and Macdonald's essay "The Language of Fiction,"
justification of critical reasoning is still in need develops her view that "a work of fiction is a
of analysis and discussion. There is a strong creative performance," in which language is
hunch here (and in more recent essays) that used in a special way, not to be confused with
reasons for critical evaluations must somehow reporting or informing. Her proposal has re-
be radically different-in the role they play, in mained a basis for most subsequent work on
their lack of universalizability, in their unchal- the logic of fictional sentences. Arnold Isen-
lengeability, or in some other way-from rea- berg's essay, "The Problem of Belief," argues
sons for any other kind of normative statement. for "the possibility of dispensing with the con-
Perhaps this hunch is right, though it seems to cept of belief in the aesthetics of poetry." The
me that investigations made so far have failed to points he makes, and the examples he gives, still
establish its truth. The question is still to be constitute one of the best cases for the irrele-
filed under Unfinished Business. vance of truth-value to literary value. Both of
(2) The description of works of art. Frank these papers are, of course, widely known.
Sibley's paper, "Aesthetic Concepts," proposes (4) Intention and the interpretation of litera-
to distinguish a special class of aesthetic con- ture. It is interesting to observe how the progress
cepts, requiring "taste or sensitivity" to dis- of ordinary language philosophy and the in-
criminate. Though the corresponding terms creasing sophistication of work in the philoso-
("unified," "delicate") are not restricted to phy of mind have led to a reconsideration of the
works of art, they are of peculiar relevance to old questions about the intention of the author
the critic faced with the task of describing and its relevance to the correctness of literary
works of art, especially since they often have a interpretation and evaluation. Theodore Red-
direct bearing upon his evaluations. Sibley's path's essay, "The Meaning of a Poem," pro-
well-known argument is that such concepts "are poses to define the meaning of a poem as "a
not and cannot be condition- or rule-governed. class of similar experiences" which the words
Not to be so governed is one of their essential of the poem "ought to evoke." He attacks the
characteristics"-though he does not deny that earlier claims by Wimsatt and Beardsley, in
they have conditions of another sort, as when "The Intentional Fallacy," that what the au-
we say that the lack of balance in a painting thor meant is not accessible as a standard of in-
results from, is due to, or is produced by the terpretation, and he ends by holding that in
highlighting of the figures on the left (Sibley's some cases, but not in all, we should "attach
example). Ronald Hepburn, in his essay on importance in determining what is the meaning
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146
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of
of aa poem,
poem,totowhat
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poet
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Edmund Wilson replies that Kipling was only
is no rule about this; it is a "matter for aes- trying to present the soldier's life as he found
thetic decision." it, and intended no moral approval of the
Dr. F. Cioffi begins his essay on "Intention British army's way with "niggers." "How is this
and Interpretation in Criticism" with a long issue to be decided?" asks Cioffi-"By an appeal
and interesting list of specific literary interpre- to the text? Isn't it rather our sense of Kipling
tation-questions and of intentionalistic state- which will determine the side we come down on?
ments that might plausibly be thought to be A sense built up not only from the other tales
relevant to answering such questions. Having but from his autobiography and other sources as
greeted the anti-intentionalist with this salvo, well?" But what is the issue to be decided?
he then proceeds to examine at length, and to Cioffi, as usual, simply conflates the two issue
reject emphatically, the "meta-criticaI dogma which we had been at such pains to disentangle.
to the effect that there exists an operation vari- Kingsmill was talking about Kipling's personal
ously known as analysing or explicating or ap- views; this issue is indeed a biographical one,
pealing to the text and that criticism should and it is hardly surprising that biographical
confine itself to this, in particular eschewing evidence is required to settle it. The critical
biographical inquiries." The tone is somewhat issue is how we are to interpret the lines in the
supercilious and condescending, but some inter- poem. Obviously we do not need to know any-
esting and important issues are raised-though thing about Kipling's personal views to discover
in my opinion some of the most striking ap- that the sentiment expressed in the lines is
peals to concrete examples are beside the point. brutal.
I am not sure I am justified in ending this A good deal of highly specific discussion
review on a disputatious note, but since Cioffi's would be needed to determine the ultimate
essay is as yet one of the least-discussed of those cogency of Cioffi's argument. But it is impor-
in the volume, and since it deals in a challeng- tant not to lose sight of his main thesis: that
ing way with some matters that have long been interpretations of literature are not hypotheses
of particular interest to me, perhaps I may be to be supported by evidence. "You don't show
allowed to raise a few questions, without under- that a response to a work of literature is inade-
taking the kind of broad-scale discussion that it quate or inappropriate in the way that you
richly deserves. show that the conclusion of an argument has
I would like to illustrate the mode of argu- been wrongly drawn." This is a striking thesis,
ment by selecting two examples from many. and it would be most interesting to know what
First, Wimsatt and I once argued that the ques- good reasons could be given for it.
tion whether Eliot is alluding to Marvell in MONROE C. BEARDSLEY
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