The fateful question of culture
By: Geoffrey H. Hartman.
Series: The Wellek Library lecture series at the University of California, Irvine
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 249
Subjects: Criticism -- History -- 20th century; Culture
Description: What defines "culture wars"? Can art and literature restore and reconnect us to the world? Or does culture, in the guise of politics, divide and separate us? What is finally at stake in the "culture wars"? In this book Geoffrey H. Hartman explores the varied meanings of culture in a fractured postmodern world.

Engaging a wide range of literature and criticism, Hartman considers culture's many uses, generating the subtle yet immense hope that flows from a great artist such as Wordsworth but also the terrible capacity to destroy, as evidenced by the cultural politics of Nazi Germany. Hartman calls for the restoration of literature to its place as the focus of thinking about culture and for the renewal of aesthetic education to help ensure the balance between art, culture, and politics.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.