The Disposition of Literature

The 22nd letter could be rewritten as a culture war spiel against didactic art. It means using art as a way for oppressed people to have something to identify with so that they feel more powerful or to give morals and lessons. But the very nature of the aesthetic is to be without ulterior motives. If you reduce it to moral purposes, it's no longer aesthetic. And in fact, ironically, it can't do that if we're trying to be didactic.