- Paperback: 338 pages
- Publisher: Vintage (4 Mar 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099273225
- ISBN-13: 978-0099273226
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,095,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Starting with the premise that the work of art is a gift and not a commodity, this revolutionary book ranges across anthropology, literature, economics, and psychology to show how the 'commerce of the creative spirit' functions in the lives of artists and in culture as a whole.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this more than five years ago. It is scholarly but well written. When I finished it, I wondered how practical it would be. In the last five years, I have thought about it several times. I cannot say that about 90% of the books I have read.
I believe it is a good example of "history of ideas" literature. It is a deconstruction of the notion of economics and commerce. By focusing on the narrow subject of gift giving, it opens the window to a critical understanding of common ideas like "interest," "usury," and "economic community." After all, what makes up a global economy? How do people bind themselves to "beliefs" that enable cooperation.
The book is not prescriptive. Instead, it is provocative to the extent that it challenges assumptions. I recommend it to the reader who is looking for an intellectual escape into the historically possible.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lewis Hyde extends the application of the anthropological notion of the gift into to the area of creative arts, with particular (but not exclusive) reference to poetry. Hyde argues that the legacy of gift giving can be found in the organisation of the artistic field. For him the gift represents 'erotic property', which means that it points to the attributes of emotional attachment and cultural unity, and its exchange and transfer do not follow the strict logic of rational thinking. A great deal of examples from anthropological literuture and everyday practice are brought in to support the analysis.
This text will be of great use to anyone interested in the issues of creativity and arts, and the history of ideas. The anthropology of the gift is well explained in the starting sections of the book, making it accessible to those with no prior athropological knowledge. The positive sides of gift-giving are discussed, however I found Hyde's approach a bit too romantic, although extremely engaging. So, try to stay critical when reading this book.
The cover says that the book will be useful for artists who are worried about 'selling their souls' to the culture industry. I don't know about that, but this is definitely a great text for students of cultural analysis and social theory and anyone interested in the questions of creativity and arts.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful book discussing the cycle of gift in myth, fables, the modern world and poetry and art.
It is surprising and refreshing. Well worth the read.
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