Product Description

This is Bourdieu′s long–awaited study of Flaubert and the formation of the modern literary field, it is an important contribution to the study of the social and historical conditions of literary works.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220667 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
"A major, path–breaking work, The Rules of Art will stimulate theoretical debates for years to come." Le Nouvel Observateur

"Since the 1960s Pierre Bourdieu′s terrific constancy has been there to hold us to the vision and divisions of criticism, detachment, reason, truth ... [An] enormous addition to his vast architecture." Times Higher Education Supplement

"This is by far Bourdieu′s best book to date." Acta Sociologica

"Both The Rules of Art and The State Nobility are dazzling examples of the way in which Bourdieu imposes order on an overwhelming wealth of empirical material ... these books represent important developments in Bourdieu′s thought and confirm his status as one of today′s most stimulating and bold sociological thinkers." European Journal of Social Theory

From the Back Cover
This is Bourdieu′s long–awaited study of Flaubert and the formation of the modern literary field.

It was in the nineteenth century that the literary universe as we know it today took shape, as a space set apart from the approved academies of the state. No one could any longer dictate with authority what ought to be written, or decree the canons of good taste: recognition and consecration were produced in and through the struggle in which writers, critics and publishers confronted one another.

The aesthetic project of Gustave Flaubert was formed at the very moment when the literary field became autonomous. Through a careful analysis of the genesis and structure of the literary field, Bourdieu is able to show how the work of Flaubert was shaped by the different currents, movements, schools and authors of the time – how, in other words, Flaubert was the product of the very field that he helped to produce.

By uncovering the rules of art, the logic which writers and literary institutions obey and which expressed itself in a sublimated form in their works, Pierre Bourdieu shatters the illusion of the all–powerful creative genius. At the same time, he lays the foundations for a sociological analysis of literary works which would be concerned not only with the material production of the work itself, but also with the production of its value.

Widely praised in France, where the book was compared with Sartre′s classic work on Flaubert, The Rules of Art will be extensively discussed in the English–speaking world. It will be recognized as one of the most important contributions of the last decade to the study of the social and historical conditions of literary works.

About the Author
Pierre Bourdieu was Professor of Sociology at the Collège de France.

Customer Reviews

Sociology of literature's most challenging theory
This book by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu is a must for every reader truly interested in sociology of literature and the various aspects of this highly complicated field of sociological thinking. Concentrating on the development of the French literary field, the book provides a comprehensive and internationally adaptable theoretical framework for all students of literature who are willing to accept that literature is part of social reality rather than a privileged sphere inhabited by a bunch of near-mad geniuses with inexplicable abilities. The central thesis of Bourdieu's book is that literary production has to be seen as part of a power struggle amongst all writers who compete for literary reputation and financial benefits. Depending on a writer's actual position within the social hierarchy and his or her individual capital resources in relation to the other competitors, he or she tends to produce either "orthodox", that is to say "conventional", or "heretic", that is to say "avantgardistic" works of literature.
If you wish to be up to date with the current debate on literature's position within society you should not miss out on this marvel of sociological theorizing.