The Fateful Question of Culture

Download or read book The Fateful Question of Culture written by Geoffrey H. Hartman and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What defines "culture wars"? Can art and literature restore and reconnect us to the world? Or does culture, in the guise of politics, divide and separate us? What is finally at stake in the "culture wars"? In this book Geoffrey H. Hartman explores the varied meanings of culture in a fractured postmodern world. Engaging a wide range of literature and criticism, Hartman considers culture's many uses, generating the subtle yet immense hope that flows from a great artist such as Wordsworth but also the terrible capacity to destroy, as evidenced by the cultural politics of Nazi Germany. Hartman calls for the restoration of literature to its place as the focus of thinking about culture and for the renewal of aesthetic education to help ensure the balance between art, culture, and politics.