The Responsibility of the Artist

Professor Kozlowski wrestles with one of the thorniest issues in the discussion of literature ethics: how do we reckon with bad people who make great art?  Jumping off from Maritain's The Responsibility of the Artist, he attempts to lay out an explanation of 1) How realistic and compelling depictions of evil in art and literature don't have to be necessarily immoral; 2) How it may be possible for bad people to make compelling, powerful, and impeccably moral art; 3) Where and when it is appropriate to support good art by bad artists, and when it is utterly immoral.  It may not be perfect, but it is an attempt to make sense of this complicated issue.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Andre Gide's The Immoralists

Francois Mauriac's The Viper's Knot

David Foster Wallace's "This is Water"

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

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