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Single Idea 20400

[filed under theme 21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 1. Artistic Intentions ]

Full Idea

Wimsatt and Beardsley claimed that either the intention succeeded, so one does not need to look outside the work for its meaning, or the intention failed, so external evidence does not help.

Gist of Idea

Intentions either succeed or fail, so external evidence for them is always irrelevant

Source

report of W Wimsatt/W Beardsley (The Intentional Fallacy [1946]) by Stephen Davies - The Philosophy of Art (2nd ed) 5.3

Book Ref

Davies,Stephen: 'The Philosophy of Art (2nd ed)' [Wiley Blackwell 2016], p.114

A Reaction

Actually, the external evidence may tell you much more clearly and accurately what the intention was than the work itself does. The best example may be the title of the work, which is presumably outside the work.

The 14 ideas with the same theme [status of an artist's intentions in aesthetics]:

7270 Historical interpretation aims to recapture the author's view of the work [Croce]
20432 When viewing art, rather than flowers, we are aware of purpose, and sympathy with its creator [Fry]
23903 When we admire a work, we see ourselves as its creator [Weil]
20400 Intentions either succeed or fail, so external evidence for them is always irrelevant [Wimsatt/Beardsley, by Davies,S]
7266 The author's intentions are irrelevant to the judgement of a work's success [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7267 Poetry, unlike messages, can be successful without communicating intentions [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7268 The thoughts of a poem should be imputed to the dramatic speaker, and hardly at all to the poet [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7269 The intentional fallacy is a romantic one [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7271 Biography can reveal meanings and dramatic character, as well as possible intentions [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
12159 Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story [Scruton]
20395 The title of a painting can be vital, and the artist decrees who the portrait represents [Davies,S]
20396 We must know what the work is meant to be, to evaluate the artist's achievement [Davies,S]
20399 Intentionalism says either meaning just is intention, or ('moderate') meaning is successful intention [Davies,S]
20401 The meaning is given by the audience's best guess at the author's intentions [Davies,S]