About this title: This 25th anniversary edition returns to the seminal argument originally proposed by Hyde that states that a work of art is essentially a gift and not a commodity.
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Description: Very good. 2007 Vintage Press 25th Anniversary Softcover(Trade PB) Edition. Some wear to cover, text clean with strong binding. Ships Fast! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780307279507ISBN:0307279502
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage Books
Date Published: 2007-12-04
ISBN-13:9780307279507ISBN:0307279502
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780307279507. read more
Description: Good. 0307279502 US STUDENT EDITION. BOOK IS A GOOD CONDITION. WILL SHIP WITHIN 24 HOURS WITH DELIVERY CONFORMATION AND TRACKING NUMBER. read more
Edition: 25 ANV
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780307279507ISBN:0307279502
Description: New. This 25th anniversary edition returns to the seminal argument originally proposed by Hyde that states that a work of art is essentially a gift and not a commodity. read more
"The book was, appropriately, a gift from a friend. Thought-provoking and relevant to the need for a new economic paradigm that the latest economic crisis demands. I liked the wide-ranging references to different cultures, uncovering customs submerged by modernism, visiting both remote island tribes and old folklore closer to home. The book offers a well-reasoned, erudite and entertaining analysis in order to champion the virtues of generosity and counter the selfishness of 21st century society. If I have one criticism, it is that the thesis is somewhat laboured as a consequence of its completeness."
"An excellent book for artists, writers, scientists, musicians... and wiki contributors - anyone who has a "gift" and senses the obligation to "keep the gift in motion." Hyde lays out his thoughts on "gift economies," based on folklore and cultural studies. He contrasts gift exchange with less emotionally involving market transactions. And he explores the issues that artists face when they are obliged to market their own work - the risk of corrupting their deep art with market-driven hack work. (I'm paraphrasing.) I found the chapters on Walt Whitman and Ezra Pound heavy-going, but worth getting through for the final chapters. In this edition there is a 25th Anniversary Afterword, written in 2007. Hyde regrets the "market triumphalism" that wants to turn every great idea into a trademarked/copyrighted/patented payoff. But he's optimistic about the web enterprises that are returning creative gifts to the commons. This book will definitely go on the "great ideas" bookshelf next to my bed."
"Hyde tries to end his 25th anniversary Afterword on an optimistic note: things are really bad now, but the world is always changing. And in some respects, I can agree with him. But, as he points out earlier in the book, going back to a small community where gifts are valued for their intrinsic worth and not as commodities would be impossible in a global economy. And unless we self-desturct, leaving only a few isolated pckets of survivors, we're not going back.
His broad discussion touches not only on artistic creation, but scientific discovery, and the kinds of work which are valuable but not valued--parenting, mentoring, story-telling, teaching, caregiving, spiritual exploration and healing--all of which are necessary to a full humanity, but can no longer offer either physical support (food, shelter, etc) or even the gratefulness and moral support of the larger community.
And his main question: "How...is the artist to survive in a society dominated by the market?" Hyde clearly states that he does not really intend to provide answers, as the answers must change to fit the world asking the question, but the roads he points to, it seems to me, still marginalize the artist rather than allowing the artist's gifts to be a true part of human activity and interaction. Creation continues to be subordinate to production. I don't have an answer either, but Hyde does confirm my feeling that art made for the marketplace loses a lot of its magic, which is why traditional arts, often produced anonymously for personal or community use, speak to us so strongly.
"Feeling and spriit mysteriously drain away when the imagination tries to embody them in commodities." It's hard to see the light in a world so blinded by its merchandise that everything is reduce to its bottom-profit-making line."
"The idea of this book is that art is a gift, so it is difficult for artists to survive in our Captialistic market-driven economy. I agree with this thesis. Second half focuses on close readings on Whitman and Pound as well as some biography on them. The first half was more anthropological. Author has some good points, but I don't think it was successfully argued with the fairy tales/myths and gift-exchange anthropological studies. I think the close readings were not convincing and the anthropological studies were too wide and broad to be of relevance to the argument about artists and art. Perhaps it was that the thesis was too flimsy to carry it through the book. The author does best when talking about Whitman's or Pound's lives and when he talks about how the market works in America. That seemed the most relevant to me."
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