My Final Thoughts

As we wrap up this blog for the semester and our class, I feel like I should say something about what I've learned. I did not realize it, but before I took this class, I had no clue about anything to do with the artworld. This course has taught me a lot of interesting things to think about when it comes to art. I've pondered over whether art is an imitation of an imitation and over whether or not beauty is the promise of happiness. To be honest, I did not think the definition of what art is was so argued upon before this class. I leave this class no more sure of what is art, but I feel like I know reasons why art is so hard to pinpoint. I feel educated and can feel more right in saying that I'm a core member of the artworld.

Final Blog 02

1. Does this theory imply that we chose to be moved?
   I think the pretend theory does imply that we choose to be moved. If we accept all of the premises laid out in this weeks reading, then we are certainly led down the garden path into thinking so. Things rouse emotion in us involuntarily. Sometimes, I have played video games that were happy and light hearted and knew they were such, only to have them make me feel a little sad. There are even works of fiction that my friends are interested in that I do not have any knowledge about or watch that have roused feelings in me. I saw an animation of one of my friends' shows and I glanced at it and experienced emotion. I do not think that I was pretending to understand what was going on or pretending anything at all.

Final Blogs 01

1. Are there any works of fiction that might produce strong emotions other than quasi-emotions?
   I feel like that, on occasion, works of fiction might produce emotions stronger than quasi-emotions, but I don't think that they are entirely produced by the works of fiction themselves. I think that if there is a case when very strong emotions are displayed by a person after, for example, reading a book, the reader must have experienced a similar feeling before. In case like this, it's because the reader had a connection to the story and possibly reading the story triggered the memory, thus evoking the feeling. There are no particular works of fiction that could do this, because everyone is different and has different experiences.

Response to TA's final question

"Think back to the last time you played make-believe. Compare it to reading a book or enjoying some other narrative art-form. Are they completely the same? What are some similarities? Differences?"

I don't remember exactly the last time I played make-believe, but I think the differences between reading a book or experiencing some other narrative art-form is that make believe is more limited. When someone pretends something, that person is limited to what they can imagine. What a person can experience in a book is up to the author's imagination and own experiences. What an adult can make-believe is very different from what a child can imagine. A child does not know nearly as much as a seasoned adult. While there are those differences, I think the emotions can be similar. Sometimes when I think of stories that are sad, I can be overcome with as much emotion as a sad book I've read. But what I can pretend is limited to who I am as a person. Sometimes, I can read things that make me so uncomfortable and embarrassed, and I have trouble conjuring up the same feelings without the guide of text.