Art for Art's Sake: In Defense

The irony here is that twenty or so years ago, if anyone had asked me about "art for art's sake," I would have rolled my eyes and scoffed. The concept--like so many concepts in the humanities--has a history of turning into metaphysical excuse-making. Within this mindset, the artist wasn't merely a creator but a figure of worship. The artist needed to be supported for the sake of improving the human race.

Even with artists who didn't go the philosophical route, "art for art's sake" was being used as a rather childish way to thumb one's nose at the audience. "So everybody hates it?! So I've offended everybody?! Who cares? It's ART!" 

However, the cultural ship has tipped so much away from art for art's sake, I feel that it needs to be defended. 

At my local library, I've been asked a few times to recommend manga titles since I take out so many of them (and interlibrary loan manga as well). I'm hesitant (though I always recommend a few), and the reason is that I go to fiction for story, NOTHING ELSE. 

I don't go for sermons. I don't go for lectures. I don't go for after-school-specials.

So, for instance, the manga My Brother's Husband is a decent 2-volume series. However, I consider that it pales in comparison to What Did You Eat Yesterday? The former is a decent after-school-special about a Canadian who visits his (dead) husband's Japanese brother. The latter is a series of vignettes about two gay men living outside Tokyo and their interactions with friends and family and neighbors and co-workers--alongside cooking scenarios!

Again, the first is okay. But it isn't what I want from fiction. I can get lectures and commentary and lessons and sermons elsewhere, sometimes better, sometimes worse. 

From fiction, I want story. I want art. 

Consequently, one of the few writing choices that will send me away from a series is not politics. It is a betrayal of a character, a situation where an author establishes a character's motivations and personality and then, for the sake of a sequel or for the sake of politics or simply to force an ending to work, completely betrays what was established. 

Yeah, that's just ...

Bad art.