{"product_id":"9781643622934","title":"E","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn The Critic as Artist, arguably the most complete exploration of his aesthetic thinking, and certainly the most entertaining, Oscar Wilde  harnesses his famous wit to demolish the supposed boundary between  art and criticism.  Subtitled Upon the Importance of Doing Nothing and Discussing  Everything, the essay takes the form of a leisurely dialogue between two characters: Ernest, who insists upon Wilde’s own belief in art’s  freedom from societal mandates and values, and a quizzical Gilbert. With his playwright’s ear for dialogue, Wilde champions idleness and  contemplation as prerequisites to artistic cultivation. Beyond the well-known dictum of art for art’s sake, Wilde’s originality lays argument for  the equality of criticism and art. For him, criticism is not subject to the  work of art, but can in fact precede it: the artist cannot create without  engaging his or her critical faculties first. And, as Wilde writes, “To the  critic the work of art is simply a suggestion for a new work of his own.” The field of art and criticism should be open to the free play of the  mind, but Wilde plays seriously, even prophetically. Writing in 1891, he foresaw that criticism would have an increasingly important role as the need to make sense of what we see increases with the complexities of modern life. It is only the fine perception and explication of beauty,  Wilde suggests, that will allow us to create meaning, joy, empathy, and peace out of the chaos of facts and reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"product__accordion accordion quick-add-hidden\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdetails id=\"Details-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003csummary role=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"summary__title\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch2 class=\"h4 accordion__title inline-richtext\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProduct Information\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/h2\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003csvg class=\"icon icon-caret\" viewbox=\"0 0 10 6\"\u003e\u003cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M9.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708 0L5 4.293 1.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708.708l4 4a.5.5 0 0 0 .708 0l4-4a.5.5 0 0 0 0-.708\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003c\/svg\u003e\r\n\t\t\u003c\/summary\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"accordion__content rte\" id=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"metafield-multi_line_text_field\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Oscar Wilde\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDate of Publication:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/05\/2019\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePagination:\u003c\/b\u003e 144 pages, 1 Illustrations, color\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Ekphrasis\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eImprint:\u003c\/b\u003e David Zwirner\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePublished By:\u003c\/b\u003e David Zwirner\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBook Classification:\u003c\/b\u003e The arts: general issues\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e 176 x 107 x 15\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eISBN13\/EAN\/SKU:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781644230039\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\t\u003c\/details\u003e\r\n\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Oscar Wilde","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56405590507906,"sku":"9781643622934","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/2180\/9347\/files\/9781643622934.jpg?v=1775908827","url":"https:\/\/mountfloridabooks.info\/products\/9781643622934","provider":"Mount Florida Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}