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Full Idea
We must discover the meanings that emerge when works of literature are experience in relation to each other. ...The importance of tradition is that it denotes - ideally, at least - the class of relevant comparisons.
Gist of Idea
Literary meaning emerges in comparisons, and tradition shows which comparisons are relevant
Source
Roger Scruton (Public Text and Common Reader [1982], p.27)
Book Ref
Scruton,Roger: 'The Aesthetic Understanding' [Methuen 1983], p.27
A Reaction
This is a nice attempt to explain why we all agree that a thorough education in an art is an essential prerequisite for good taste. Some people (e.g. among the young) seem to have natural good taste. How does that happen?
| 12159 | Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story [Scruton] |
| 12160 | In aesthetic interest, even what is true is treated as though it were not [Scruton] |
| 12161 | We can be objective about conventions, but love of art is needed to understand its traditions [Scruton] |
| 12162 | In literature, word replacement changes literary meaning [Scruton] |
| 12163 | Literary meaning emerges in comparisons, and tradition shows which comparisons are relevant [Scruton] |