X. Emerson on the Organic Principle in Art

One could not desire a better instance of the need of defining critical terms than is afforded by a comparison of Poe's and of Emerson's definition of art. Since Poe defined poetry as “the rhythmical creation of beauty,” he would necessarily have defined art in general as “the creation of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PMLA : Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 1926-03, Vol.41 (1), p.193-208
Main Author: Foerster, Norman
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:One could not desire a better instance of the need of defining critical terms than is afforded by a comparison of Poe's and of Emerson's definition of art. Since Poe defined poetry as “the rhythmical creation of beauty,” he would necessarily have defined art in general as “the creation of beauty.” Now, although Emerson's view of art is in striking contrast with Poe's, he begins with these very words. In his first book, Nature , he says, “The creation of beauty is Art.” What does he mean?
ISSN:0030-8129
1938-1530
DOI:10.2307/457659