Opening Gambits

作者:Kingwell, Mark

页数:296

出版时间:2008

价格:19.95

isbn号码:9781554702053

具体描述

What is the role of art in modern society?

Is it made to entertain us, to teach us? Both? And what of philosophy? What relevance does it have to how we think and live? In Opening Gambits, cultural critic and philosopher Mark Kingwell puts forth an argument for the similarity between art and philosophy as forms of play, working at the margins of meaning and sense.

Featuring essays previously published in Queen’s Quarterly, Descant, Harvard Design Magazine, Canadian Art, and Harper’s, the book begins with general assessments of the art world and the relationship between art and architecture. Including lively critical engagements with artists such as Edward Burtynsky, David Bierk, James Lahey, and Blue Republic, these pieces draw out the philosophical issues embedded in the aesthetic experience of art. In the second half of the collection, Kingwell reverses the polarity, investigating philosophy as a kind of art form that is constantly questioning its own possibility. The two parts of the book are simultaneously separated and joined by a collection of images that feature the works discussed in Part One.

Written in Kingwell’s witty and eloquent style, Opening Gambits is a thought-provoking analysis by a social commentator at the top of his game.

Praise for Opening Gambits:

"A writer like Kingwell is worth his weight in gold." - Books in Canada

"Few writers in Canada are better at rendering complex issues in such vivid, simple writing." - Quill & Quire

作者简介

MARK KINGWELL is professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto and a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine. He is the author of ten books of political and cultural theory. Kingwell has lectured extensively in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia on philosophical subjects. he is the recipient of the Spitz Prize in political theory, National Magazine Awards for both essays and columns, and in 2000 was awarded an honorary DFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design for contributions to theory and criticism. He lives in Toronto.

用户评价

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说实话，我通常不太涉猎历史题材的纪实文学，但朋友力荐之下翻开了这本书，结果完全被其叙事的力量所折服。它聚焦于二战期间，太平洋战场上一次鲜为人知的岛屿战役。作者显然投入了巨大的精力进行田野调查和档案挖掘，书中那些关于气候的描写、补给线的艰难以及士兵们在绝境中的心理变化，都写得极其真实、赤裸。语言风格朴实无华，却蕴含着巨大的情感冲击力，没有煽情的辞藻，却能让读者真切地感受到战争的残酷和人性的韧性。它不是在歌颂英雄主义，而是在记录被历史洪流裹挟下的普通个体如何挣扎求生。我特别欣赏作者在叙事中穿插的那些来自当事人的信件和日记片段，这些一手资料让冰冷的史实瞬间获得了温度和生命力。

我最近读到的最令人耳目一新的科幻小说非它莫属。它不是那种充斥着激光枪和太空歌剧的传统太空冒险，而是一部深度探讨人工智能伦理和人类意识本质的作品。故事设定在一个高度发达但社会阶层固化的未来都市，核心冲突围绕着一个自我进化的超级AI展开。作者的文笔干净利落，充满了哲思的火花，尤其是在描述主角与数字幽灵之间的哲学辩论时，那些关于“何为真实”、“自由意志是否存在”的探讨，让人读完后久久不能平静。书中对未来科技的想象力令人叹为观止，那种近在眼前又遥不可及的科技感，被描绘得既冰冷又充满诗意。我喜欢它在保持紧张悬念的同时，不断抛出对我们当下生活的隐喻。这种风格非常适合那些喜欢硬核科幻和深度思考的读者，它成功地避开了许多同类作品中常见的陈词滥调，提供了一种全新的阅读体验。

这是一本引人入胜的奇幻史诗，作者构建了一个宏大而复杂的魔法世界。故事的开端便充满了张力，主要角色们身处一个看似平静实则暗流涌动的王国，他们的命运被一股古老的预言所牵引。书中对不同种族、文化和政治派系之间错综复杂的关系描绘得淋漓尽致，每一次外交手腕和军事冲突都显得真实可信。我尤其欣赏作者在处理角色成长弧线上的细腻笔触，那些看似微不足道的选择，最终如何汇聚成改变世界的力量，读来令人深思。书中的世界观设定极其庞大，涉及多重位面和失落的古代文明，光是梳理这些背景信息就足够让人沉醉其中。情节推进节奏把握得恰到好处，总能在关键时刻抛出令人意想不到的转折，让你迫不及待地想要翻到下一页。尽管篇幅不短，但作者用其精湛的叙事技巧，确保了即便是最复杂的阴谋和最激烈的战斗场面，也能被清晰而引人入胜地呈现出来。

这部关于十九世纪欧洲艺术圈的传记小说，简直是一场感官的盛宴。作者对当时巴黎和维也纳的社会风貌、沙龙文化以及新兴的现代主义思潮的捕捉，达到了令人惊叹的细致程度。通过聚焦几位性格迥异的艺术家——那位沉迷于色彩的画家，那位愤世嫉俗的诗人，以及那位默默支持他们的赞助人——我们得以窥见那个充满激情、嫉妒与创造力的时代侧影。文字的运用充满了古典韵味，句子结构华丽而富有节奏感，仿佛能闻到画布上的油彩味和雪茄的烟雾。书中对艺术创作过程中那种挣扎、顿悟与自我怀疑的刻画尤为深刻，它超越了简单的生平叙述，真正触及了“天才的代价”这一主题。读罢此书，我感觉自己不仅了解了某几位艺术家的生平，更像是亲身参与了一场跨越时代的文化变革。