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Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

A Neo-Tolstoyan Response to Kitsch

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Leo Tolstoy’s aesthetic theory in What is Art? defines art as the transmission of emotion through the creation of an object. Awareness of Tolstoy’s history and beliefs extends a more generous understanding to some of his controversial evaluations of famous artworks, but remaining problems with his theory require substantial enough changes to result in a neo-Tolstoyan aesthetic. Although kitsch proves difficult to define and the variety of existing definitions are examined, Clement Greenberg’s understanding of kitsch particularly challenges Tolstoy’s aesthetic through denouncing features of art which Tolstoy celebrates. A conception of art grounded in a biblical ethics of emotion is presented that synthesizes these competing viewpoints. The resulting synthesis offers clarification on the essence of kitsch and suggestions on how to evaluate the worth of artworks.

Degree

thesis:*
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Year dc:date.issued
2018

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Cabal, Daniel Joseph
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Coppenger, Mark T.

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/10392/5811
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:repository.sbts.edu:10392/5811

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Base URL
repository.sbts.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-27
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Cabal, Daniel Joseph. A Neo-Tolstoyan Response to Kitsch. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10392/5811