Literature Times
No Result
View All Result
  • American Literature
    • Introduction
    • Novel
      • Introduction
      • Ernest Hemingway
      • Jazz by Toni Morrison
      • The Scarlet Letter
      • To Kill a Mockingbird
    • Plays
      • The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neil
      • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
    • Poetry
      • Adrienne Rich
      • Maya Angelou
      • Sylvia Plath
      • T.S. Eliot
      • Ted Hughes
    • Stories
      • The Masque of the Red Death
      • To Build a Fire
  • Pakistani Literature
    • History
    • Poetry
      • Anniversary by Daud Kamal
    • Novels
      • The Reluctant Fundamentalist
    • Short Stories
      • Toba Tek Singh
  • Postcolonial
    • Introduction
    • Concepts
    • Novels
      • Devil on the Cross
      • Things Fall Apart
  • British Literature
    • History
      • Anglo-Saxon
      • The Age of Chaucer
      • Renaissance Literature
      • Age of Shakespeare
      • The Age of Johnson
      • Elizabethan Age
      • Restoration Period
      • The Age of Milton
      • Victorian Age
    • Novels
      • D.H. Lawrence
        • Sons and Lovers
      • James Joyce
        • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
      • Jane Austin
        • Pride and Prejudice
      • Mary Shelley
        • Frankenstein
      • Thomas Hardy
        • The Mayor of Casterbridge
      • Virginia Woolf
        • To the Lighthouse
    • Plays
      • August Strindberg
        • Ghost Sonata
      • Christopher Marlowe
        • Doctor Faustus
      • Henrik Ibsen
        • A Doll’s House
      • John Osborne
        • Look Back in Anger
      • William Shakespeare
        • Macbeth
        • Twelfth Night
      • Samuel Beckett
        • Waiting for Godot
        • Words and Music
      • Sophocles
        • Antigone
    • Essayists
      • Jonathan Swift
        • A Modest Proposal
    • Poetry
      • John Milton
        • Paradise Lost
      • Seamus Heaney
      • W.B. Yeats
      • William Wordsworth
      • W.H. Auden
  • More
    • Basics of Literature
    • Greek Mythology
    • Linguistics
    • Literature
    • Novel
    • One Act Play
    • World Literature
      • Short Stories
        • Guy de Maupassant
        • Jorge Luis Borges
          • The Garden of Forking Paths
          • The Library of Babel
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
Contact
  • American Literature
    • Introduction
    • Novel
      • Introduction
      • Ernest Hemingway
      • Jazz by Toni Morrison
      • The Scarlet Letter
      • To Kill a Mockingbird
    • Plays
      • The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neil
      • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
    • Poetry
      • Adrienne Rich
      • Maya Angelou
      • Sylvia Plath
      • T.S. Eliot
      • Ted Hughes
    • Stories
      • The Masque of the Red Death
      • To Build a Fire
  • Pakistani Literature
    • History
    • Poetry
      • Anniversary by Daud Kamal
    • Novels
      • The Reluctant Fundamentalist
    • Short Stories
      • Toba Tek Singh
  • Postcolonial
    • Introduction
    • Concepts
    • Novels
      • Devil on the Cross
      • Things Fall Apart
  • British Literature
    • History
      • Anglo-Saxon
      • The Age of Chaucer
      • Renaissance Literature
      • Age of Shakespeare
      • The Age of Johnson
      • Elizabethan Age
      • Restoration Period
      • The Age of Milton
      • Victorian Age
    • Novels
      • D.H. Lawrence
        • Sons and Lovers
      • James Joyce
        • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
      • Jane Austin
        • Pride and Prejudice
      • Mary Shelley
        • Frankenstein
      • Thomas Hardy
        • The Mayor of Casterbridge
      • Virginia Woolf
        • To the Lighthouse
    • Plays
      • August Strindberg
        • Ghost Sonata
      • Christopher Marlowe
        • Doctor Faustus
      • Henrik Ibsen
        • A Doll’s House
      • John Osborne
        • Look Back in Anger
      • William Shakespeare
        • Macbeth
        • Twelfth Night
      • Samuel Beckett
        • Waiting for Godot
        • Words and Music
      • Sophocles
        • Antigone
    • Essayists
      • Jonathan Swift
        • A Modest Proposal
    • Poetry
      • John Milton
        • Paradise Lost
      • Seamus Heaney
      • W.B. Yeats
      • William Wordsworth
      • W.H. Auden
  • More
    • Basics of Literature
    • Greek Mythology
    • Linguistics
    • Literature
    • Novel
    • One Act Play
    • World Literature
      • Short Stories
        • Guy de Maupassant
        • Jorge Luis Borges
          • The Garden of Forking Paths
          • The Library of Babel
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Literature Times
No Result
View All Result
Home Basics of Literature

How Art for Art’s Sake Movement was Started? Art for Art’s Sake Explained

Shaheer by Shaheer
January 4, 2022
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
How-Art-for-Arts-Sake-Movement-was-Started_-1

“All art is quite useless”. This statement of Oscar Wilde is in his “Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray”, which expresses one of the central aspects of the idea of Art for Art’s Sake: art shall have no other aim than being art and it should be protected from subordination to any moral, didactic, social or political purpose.

In his essay “Le Question de l’Art pour l’Art”, M. Stapfer makes two assumptions on the character of the idea: Firstly, that it is “perpetually and recurrent and eternally insoluble” and secondly, that the movement was “French in character and origin”.

Frenchman Théophile Gautier is said to have first used the term in regard to its actual meaning. Although he did not use the phrase “‘l’artwork pour l’artwork” itself, the preface to his novel “Madmoiselle de Maupin” remains to be regarded as probably the most essential manifestos of this idea. M. Cassagne holds the opinion that the movement in France developed as a response to the ethical values of the bourgeoisie, in addition to to humanitarianism. Artists, frustrated and dissatisfied with politics, religion and society, started to withdraw into aesthetic isolation and to propagate the independence of art.

In the nineteenth century, it was widely considered that art had both to idealize life within the manner of the Idealists or the Romantics, to criticize it or merely to present it, just like the Realists did. John Ruskin, for instance, thought of art to be means to external, primarily didactic purposes. He, just like we’ll hear from the aesthetic writers, appreciated the beauty of art. But for him magnificence and the great thing about art wasn’t end in themselves. So for him art was beautiful, if its consumers have discovered or understood something by the assistance of it, in different words, if it had a didactic impact.

Read About: How is “dramatic irony” typically used in drama, particularly in tragedy?

Why Art for Art’s Sake Became the Necessity?

Socially and traditionally the Art for Art’s Sake Movement is embedded in an age of great changes in all areas of life primarily attributable to the Industrial Revolution. First of all it introduced the end of the medieval feudal system with its kind of “compact and cohesive” structure of life and little cause for the emergence of particular groups with a powerful sense of identity and of their opposition to different groups. Artists didn’t have to justify themselves and their actions. Due to industrialization and specialization in all domains of life, separate groups with separate mentalities developed. Artists started to treat themselves as such, having certain rights and obligations. So the development of Art for Art’s Sake must be seen within the context of the movement to pluralism.

Secondly, the Industrial Revolution brought in an acceleration of social change. With the expansion of the middle class not solely social issues got here alongside, but additionally, a change within the literary market. From 1800 onwards, artists were no longer depending on aristocratic or upper class patrons. Instead they were usually compelled to jot down what the public needed to read. One impact was the differentiation between real art and mass production or trivial literature, one other was a change within the relationship between the artist and his public. The writers no longer wrote for the aristocratic classes or for noblemen, whom that they had handled with respect, addressing any individual superior to them in rank, however for social or mental inferiors.

Thirdly, the Industrial Revolution made ugliness, destruction of nature, urbanization and overpopulation permanent features of life in cities. Artists, who felt to be devoted to nature and sweetness, had been quickly depressed and frustrated by this unaesthetic environment of living. The Romantic writers started to react by fleeing into different, imaginative worlds to escape from actuality. They appreciated what industrialization had started to destroy: nature, magnificence, sensitivity.

A fourth consequence was the spread of the Benthamist Utilitarianism and the scientific mentality. The emphasis was placed on material, useful and sensible elements of life. Everything was judged by its utility and its material benefit.

This perspective had critical consequences to religion. As religion is one thing invisible and the existence of God couldn’t be proved by scientific means, individuals now no longer certain about his existence. The gap produced by the weakening of the church and religious believes was usually full of even stricter ethical values, which may very well be undermined by philosophic principle. Religion appeared no longer appropriate as a foundation for all times, instead the explicit crucial and ethical values based mostly on philosophy became essential. The aesthetic writers were capable of producing one thing fascinating and the decadents had been capable of shocking with their works. The response to those circumstances and the dealing with the lack of sense in life is characteristic of all literature of the nineteenth century.

The adherents of Art for Art’s Sake tried to fully flip their back on society, politics, morality and every thing aside from art. They claimed a whole separation of art and life.

And yes! if you need premium accounts at cheapest rate inbox me on my Facebook page at: Premium Palace

Subscribe my YouTube channel at: The Stream Post

Follow on Facebook page of Literature Times at: Literature Times on Facebook

For Free PDF Books Visit: Free Books by Literature Times

Tags: art for art's sakeart for art's sake and art for life sakeart for art's sake criticismart for art's sake definitionart for art's sake essayart for art's sake essay pdfart for art's sake examplesart for art's sake explanationart for art's sake forsterart for art's sake in english literatureart for art's sake in literatureart for art's sake in literature pdfart for art's sake is an empty phraseart for art's sake kantart for art's sake meaningart for art's sake modernismart for art's sake money for god's sakeart for art's sake new orleansart for art's sake or art for societyart for art's sake originart for art's sake oscar wildeart for art's sake paintingart for art's sake pdfart for art's sake philosophyart for art's sake vs art for life's sakeart for arts sake 2019the impact of arts educationwhat does art for art's sake meanwhat is art for art's sake
ShareTweetPin
Shaheer

Shaheer

I'm a well-rounded individual who combines technical expertise with creative writing skills to provide comprehensive and compelling content to the readers. My passion for technology, literature, and writing drives them to stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in these areas.

Related Posts

Influence of Karl Marx on Modern English Literature A Comprehensive Analysis
Literature

Influence of Karl Marx on Modern English Literature: A Comprehensive Analysis

October 25, 2024
Who Were the University Wits and Their Impact on Literature
Literature

Who Were the University Wits and Their Impact on Literature?

September 20, 2024
The Power of Future-Focused Literature in Shaping Societies
Literature

The Power of Future-Focused Literature in Shaping Societies

October 1, 2023
Evolution of the Sonnet Form A Comprehensive Overview
Literature

Evolution of the Sonnet Form: A Comprehensive Overview

September 30, 2023
Next Post
How-Renaissance-Came-to-England_-1

How Renaissance Came to England? | Characteristics of Renaissance

What-is-Neoclassicism-in-Literature_-1

What is Neoclassicism in Literature? | Characteristics of Neoclassicism

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Stories

Romantic-Movement-in-Literature-min-e1586365140523

The Romantic Movement in Literature

January 4, 2022
Postcolonialism-and-Key-Points-in-Postcolonial-Theory-1

Postcolonialism and Key Points in Postcolonial Theory

January 4, 2022
Foreshadowing in To Kill a Mockingbird A Riveting Journey of Suspense and Surprise

Foreshadowing in To Kill a Mockingbird: A Riveting Journey of Suspense and Surprise

August 18, 2023

Popular Stories

  • Define Tragedy and its elements by Aristotle?

    Define Tragedy and Its Elements

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Evolution of Feminist Literary Criticism: A Comprehensive Guide

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Aristotle’s Concept of Catharsis Explained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Critical Analysis of the Poem “Partition” by W.H. Auden

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Literature Times

Literature Times is a platform that provides literary analysis and article focused on English Literature.

LEARN MORE »

Literary Movements

  • Absurdism
  • Aestheticism
  • Existentialism
  • Expressionism
  • Formalism
  • Magical Realism
  • Marxism
  • Naturalism
  • Nihilism
  • Postmodernism
  • Surrealism

Literary Theory

  • F.R. Leavis
  • Matthew Arnold
  • Defamiliarization
  • Formalism
  • Marxism
  • Narratology
  • Post-Structuralism
  • Structuralism

Author’s Pick

  • Basics of Literature
  • Classical Criticism
  • Development of Novel
  • Essays
  • Greek Mythology
  • Moral Stories
  • Reflections

© 2025 Literature Times | Founded by Shaheer

No Result
View All Result
  • American Literature
    • Introduction
    • Novel
      • Introduction
      • Ernest Hemingway
      • Jazz by Toni Morrison
      • The Scarlet Letter
      • To Kill a Mockingbird
    • Plays
      • The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neil
      • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
    • Poetry
      • Adrienne Rich
      • Maya Angelou
      • Sylvia Plath
      • T.S. Eliot
      • Ted Hughes
    • Stories
      • The Masque of the Red Death
      • To Build a Fire
  • Pakistani Literature
    • History
    • Poetry
      • Anniversary by Daud Kamal
    • Novels
      • The Reluctant Fundamentalist
    • Short Stories
      • Toba Tek Singh
  • Postcolonial
    • Introduction
    • Concepts
    • Novels
      • Devil on the Cross
      • Things Fall Apart
  • British Literature
    • History
      • Anglo-Saxon
      • The Age of Chaucer
      • Renaissance Literature
      • Age of Shakespeare
      • The Age of Johnson
      • Elizabethan Age
      • Restoration Period
      • The Age of Milton
      • Victorian Age
    • Novels
      • D.H. Lawrence
      • James Joyce
      • Jane Austin
      • Mary Shelley
      • Thomas Hardy
      • Virginia Woolf
    • Plays
      • August Strindberg
      • Christopher Marlowe
      • Henrik Ibsen
      • John Osborne
      • William Shakespeare
      • Samuel Beckett
      • Sophocles
    • Essayists
      • Jonathan Swift
    • Poetry
      • John Milton
      • Seamus Heaney
      • W.B. Yeats
      • William Wordsworth
      • W.H. Auden
  • More
    • Basics of Literature
    • Greek Mythology
    • Linguistics
    • Literature
    • Novel
    • One Act Play
    • World Literature
      • Short Stories
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us

© 2025 Literature Times | Founded by Shaheer