
How we make sense of the world

How we produce “beauty”

Helps us understand others and their sense of the
world

Helps us make sense of the “big questions”

Makes us interesting, well rounded,
educated humans

Helps us appreciate other experiences

Helps us become “culturally literate”
(we’re in on the joke when someone makes a literary allusion or
reference)
Literature Basics
When we talk about literature, we can’t help but
talk about quality because all literature isn’t the
same.
*Note though, the next slides present information as
if literature is EITHER good or bad, when we know
that the issue is more complex.
High Culture Art vs. Pop
Culture Art
In every art form in every culture, there is the
art that serves to make us think and the
art that serves to entertain us.
Have you seen a movie or
read a book lately that
made you think? Was
it entertaining as well?
Why do you think
independent films so
rarely make it to every
theater?
Examples from
Film
Audience: mass audience who wants
entertainment
 National Treasure (the action movie)
 Atonement (the chick-flick drama)
 Superbad (the adult comedy)
 Shrek (the children’s comedy)
 Etc.
Audience: specific; those who understand
film as art, know jargon, devices, inner
workings of field





Junebug
Cache
Some documentaries
Many independent films
Many films produced on a small budget for the
sake of creating an artistic expression
Examples from
Art
Audience: Mass








Most advertising art
Art from artists like Thomas Kinkade
Posters (Kitsch)
Desktops
Coffee mugs
Calendars
Clothing
Anything mass
produced, or produced for the
sake of making a profit
Audience: A narrower audience; specifically those
with appreciation of art or money to purchase it
 “Fine art”
 Ceramics, paintings, sculpture, photography, etc.
 Anything produced for the sake of beauty or
expression
"Girl with a Pearl Earring“
Van Gogh search results

Fast food – mass
produced, $

Fine cuisine – audience
appreciates art form,
$$$$

Fashion—mass
produced, $ - $$

Couture – “high
fashion,” $$$$

Music – mass produced
for radio and profit,
FREE

Music – “high” music,
opera, orchestral, etc.,
$$
Examples from
Literature
Audience: A mass audience that desires
entertainment or escape
 The mystery novel
 The “bodice ripper” romance
 The spy novel
 Any fiction or non-fiction piece with a primary
goal of entertainment/sales
Characters:
sound clip
- lack complexity
- are stereotypes (the ditzy cheerleader, the
bratty younger sibling, the bully, the grouchy
senior citizen, etc.)
Plot:
 Launches into action without character
development
 Predictable
 Has a happy, resolved ending (or a cheap
ending)
 Confirms popular beliefs –
Doesn’t challenge the reader to
think or question
So the quality of art is determined by several
factors. What is its purpose? Who is the
audience?
This brings us to an important issue. What is art anyway? You’ll
talk about this when you take an art appreciation class—we could
spend an entire semester just talking about the nature of art!