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Single Idea 7266

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

Full Idea

The design or intention of the author is neither available nor desirable as a standard for judging the success of a work of literary art.

Gist of Idea

The author's intentions are irrelevant to the judgement of a work's success

Source

W Wimsatt/W Beardsley (The Intentional Fallacy [1946], §I)

Book Ref

'Philosophy Looks at the Arts', ed/tr. Margolis,Joseph [Charles Scribner 1962], p.92

A Reaction

This famous proposal may have been misunderstood. Note that it is a comment about judging the work, not about understanding it. The idea allows for a work being much more successful than the author's humble intentions (e.g. Pepys).

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]