Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-13-2023
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Philosophy and Religion
First Advisor
Timothy Yenter
Second Advisor
Steven Skultety
Third Advisor
Dan Stout
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The primary objectives of this research are to describe ways in the interpretation of art-objects is shaped by their ownership and to endorse fan culture participation as a mechanism through which people might be led to aesthetic value. This analysis shall be grounded in an understanding of trust and shall point the reader toward care, noting that these phenomena positively correlate and help interpreters to receive meaning of more abundance and depth. It will be initially claimed that art interpretation is itself contribution to aesthetic dialogue with artists. This claim is grounded in an understanding of art’s communicative capacities and the ways they are deliberately leveraged to invite response. These dialogues are themselves enhanced by the presence of intimacy and trust, which are nurtured by participation in interpretive communities, specifically those constitutive of fan culture. Ownership of art shall be described as itself an aesthetic phenomenon, explaining how and why people respond to it as such. This response will be analyzed through a lens of care, noting that this care gives way to the maximization of extracted aesthetic value. Throughout this analysis, ownership shall be broadly conceived. Synthesis of these sub-discussions shall lead the reader toward the endorsement of fan culture participation as a mechanism for the maximization of aesthetic care, and, in turn, of aesthetic value.
Recommended Citation
Heitman, Spencer, "Speak Now to Forever Hold Your Piece: On Aesthetic Ownership and Interpretation" (2023). Honors Theses. 2961.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2961
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