Matei Calinescu, Five Faces of Modernity: Modernism,
Avant-Garde, Decadence, Kitsch, Postmodernism. Durham: Duke University
Press, 1987. 395p.
KITSCH
The "Kitsch-Man" (259)
"One who ...experience(s) as kitsch even non-kitsch works or situations,
...who makes a parody of aesthetic response."
Hedonistic idea of what is artistic or beautiful
Fill his spare time with maximum excitement for minimum effort
even if from high culture
ideal is effortless enjoyment
Ethical terms
moral ineptitude
work beautifully
ethical says - work well
Fundamental characteristic - lying
liar may believe himself
disregards inner validity
Undeveloped critical sense
mental passivity
spiritual laziness
sin of sloth
art demands effort and seriousness (Egenter) (260)
Definition of Kitsch (261-62)
Historico-sociological approach
Kitch is typically modern
linked to
cultural industrialization
commercialism
increasing leisure
Aesthetic-moral approach
Kitsch is false art
production of aesthetic lies
crowd pleasing art
World of aesthetic make-believe and self-deception
Kitsch and Modernity
Kitsch, Camp, and
High Art
Etymology, Contexts of Usage, and the "Law of
Aesthetic Inadequacy"
Kitsch and Romanticism
Bad Taste, Ideology, and Hedonism
Some Stylistic Considerations
Kitsch and Cultural Industrialization
The "Kitsch-Man"
Links and Abbreviations (links are abbreviated by using the initials)