Notes on Tolstoy, Introduction to S.T. Semenov's Pleasant Stories (1894)

(Originally Written Feb. 18, 2008 in the Journal)

There are three aspects of judging artistic production:

1. The side of its content
2. The form of the work: is it good, beautiful, and in accord with its content?
3. The sincerity of the relation of artist to piece of art

The sincerity of the relation of artist to piece, whether the artist conveys that he sincerely believes what he is conveying is the most important of the three aspects.

The third aspect gives force to the work of art. It makes the art infectious.

To be infectious means to invoke in the observer, the feelings which the artist himself feels.

Semenov manages to make the reader believe that he, the author, would do what the hero does in the story: sincerity. By doing so, he the author, inspires the reader to do the same.

In addition to the sincerity, Semenov matches the form to the content. His striking use of language is new, yet natural. All three of these aspects make his pieces impressive works of art.