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Quote by Elaine Scarry

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On Beauty and Being Just

This work delves into the philosophical concepts of beauty and justice, examining their interplay and implications in various contexts. more

Author

Elaine Scarry
Elaine Scarry

Elaine Scarry is an American scholar known for her contributions to literary theory, cultural studies, and ethics. Her research spans a range of fields including aesthetics, narrative, and moral philosophy. more

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“Under the charm of the Dionysian not only is the union between man and man reaffirmed, but nature which has become alienated, hostile, or subjugated, celebrates once more her reconciliation with her lost son, man. Freely, earth proffers her gifts, and peacefully the beasts of prey of the rocks and desert approach. The chariot of Dionysus is covered with flowers and garlands; panthers and tigers walk under its yoke. Transform Beethoven’s 'Hymn to Joy' into a painting; let your imagination conceive the multitudes bowing to the dust, awestruck—then you will approach the Dionysian. Now the slave is a free man; now all the rigid, hostile barriers that necessity, caprice, or 'impudent convention' have fixed between man and man are broken. Now, with the gospel of universal harmony, each one feels himself not only united, reconciled, and fused with his neighbor, but as one with him, as if the veil of maya had been torn aside and were now merely fluttering in tatters before the mysterious primordial unity.”

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“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. ~ Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn’t make any sense. ~ The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”

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Book:The Essential Rumi (2020): Translations By Coleman Barks with John Moyne
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“The commodification of art has failed to produce more humane music and literature because it has created a system wherein no one can be held responsible for the pap and twaddle presented to the public for consumption. If a certain film is profitable within a system of commodified art, more films like it will be made, even if the film is poorly reviewed and even if audiences do not like it.”

BeautyTasteTraditionArtists
Book:Love What Lasts: How to Save Your Soul from Mediocrity
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“To say that Mark Rothko painted “colorful rectangles” really does sum up the man’s oeuvre. The thrill of Rothko’s work is entirely bound up in the massive size of his canvases. The same is true of Pollock and Newman. Had either been forced to use notebook sized canvases, all their power would be lost. On the other hand, the Mona Lisa is still interesting when reduced to the size of a postage stamp.”

BeautyArtificialintelligenceGood Taste
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