Tag Archives: aestheticism

Invisible Man & Lolita Changed the ’50s

Ellison’s “Invisible Man” and Nabokov’s “Lolita” both challenged basic 1950s assumptions. The former changed public perceptions on what it meant to be black while the latter violated a tacit agreement not to go digging under neatly manicured lawns bordered by white picket fences.

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Reflections on Art for Art’s Sake

The art for art’s sake movement buoyed Oscar Wilde in the 1890s, but it’s not a philosophy that works well in every age.

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Arguing against Lit for Lit’s Sake

Nabokov’s aestheticism in the 1960s tried to separate literature from history.

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