In this 1897 philosophical treatise, Russian author Leo Tolstoy argues that true art must communicate genuine emotion and be accessible to all people, not just cultural elites. Tolstoy challenges prevailing aesthetic theories by proposing that art's value lies in its moral purpose and ability to unite humanity through shared feeling. This translation by Aylmer Maude presents Tolstoy's influential critique of art's role in society.
Take up any one of our ordinary newspapers, and you will find a part devoted to the theatre and music. In almost every number you will find a description of some art exhibition, or of some particular picture, and you will always find reviews of new works of art that have appeared, of volumes of poems, of short stories, or of novels. Promptly, and in detail, as soon as it has occurred, an account is published of how such and such an actress or actor played this or that rôle in such and such a drama, comedy, or opera; and of the merits of the performance, as well as of the contents of the new drama, comedy, or opera, with its defects and merits. With as much care and detail, or even more, we are told how such and such an artist has sung a certain piece, or has played it on the piano or violin, and what were the merits and defects of the piece and of the performance. In every large town the…Continue reading →
This is the Aylmer Maude translation, a public-domain English text. Marginalia presents it unabridged, with chapter navigation, your reading position saved, and optional AI commentary on any passage.
A Russian count turned philosophical novelist, this 19th-century writer created epic masterpieces like War and Peace and Anna Karenina that explored the depths of human nature and Russian society. His profound moral questioning and psychological realism revolutionized literature, influencing countless authors while his later spiritual writings championed nonviolence and social reform. All works by Leo Tolstoy →
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