The Aesthetics of György Lukács

173 Pages·1975·2.05 MB·English

by  Béla Királyfalvi

PREFACE
GYORGY
Lutlcsw aso neo ft hel eadiMnagr xist
philosopahnedor nse o ft hem osti nfluentliiatle rary
theoroifst thset wenticeetnht uTrhye.s ignificoafn ce
hisw ritiinsgr se cognibzyte rda nslaitnii onncsr easing
numbernso,to nliyn ttoh el anguaogfes so ciacloiusnt­
triebsu,ta lsion tFor encIht,a liJaanp,a neEsneg,l ish,
SpaniDsuht,c ha,n do thePreso.p olfel ettwehrosh ave
founLdu kaccso'n tribuitmipoonr tiannctl uAdlef red
KaziGne,o rgSet einJeera,n -PSaaurltK raer,Ml a nnheim,
SusaSno ntaagn,dT homaMsa nnT.o d atteh,e t ransla­
tioonfsL ukacisn tEon glinsuhm benri nveo lumbeust,
thel isdto enso ti ncluhdiesm osts ignifiwcoarnktis n
aestheStpieccsi:aas latC ya,t egoofrA ye stheatnidTc hse
PeculioafrA ietsyt heWtoircksas.b ouLtu kaicnsE nglish
aref ewi nn umbewri,t ohn ltyw oo ft heb ooks-cao l­
lectoifoe ns sabyyss evearuatlh o(rGse orLgu kacTsh,e
Man,H isW orka ndH is Ideaesd,i tbeydG .H.RP.a rk­
insoann)d a studoyn lpya rtalbyo uLtu kac(sM arxism
andF ormb yF redrJiacm eson)-deparliimnagrw iiltyh
Lukacase's thtehteiocr Tiheesr .e vieawnsda rtictlheast
havaep peariensd u cphe riodaisct ahleSs o viSeutr vey,
EncountTehreK, e nyoRne vieTwh,e f o umaolf P hilos­
ophyM,a rxisTmo daayn dt heY alRee viewwh,i lvea ried
ins ubjeacrtbe,r iaenfd l imitiensd c opTeh.e riest ,h ere­
forae ,p ressnienegdf ora systemeaxtaimci natoifo n
Lukacs' aeThset hpeutripcoss.et hiossft udiyst oh elp
satitshfaynt e ed.
Thibso oiks l imitteoad n e xaminaatnidoe nx position
ofL ukacase's thtehteiocr Iitie ssn .o ta c ritwiocraklb, u t
vii
PREFACE
a systematic analysis of Lukacs' entire aesthetic system,
intended primarily to make this important Marxist theo­
rist accessible to English-speaking readers, since most of
his works are available only in German or in Hungarian.
Owing to his overwhelming familiarity with the art of
literature, as compared with the other arts, Lukacs draws
materials for illustration and critical analysis mostly from
works of literature, especially from novels and dramas.
This study faithfully reflects Lukacs' uneven emphasis.
Further, because of my own background and interest, I
have attempted to make this analysis of his aesthetic
theories particularly relevant to the art of dramatic litera­
ture. This I have done by using examples taken from
dramatic works, whenever it was possible without dam­
aging the wholeness and clarity of the ideas under dis­
cussion, and by including a chapter devoted exclusively
to the dramatic theories of Lukacs.
Though he had been an active and prolific literary
critic for more than two decades, Lukacs, by his own
admission, did not become a Marxist critic until the early
i93o's. His early theories are built upon considerably dif­
ferent philosophical foundations from his late theories.
Once he committed himself fully to Marxism, he re­
jected many of the ideas expressed in his early works.
This book is limited to an examination of his Marxist
aesthetic theories, for they make a coherent, whole sys­
tem. Therefore, while the introductory chapter outlines
Lukacs' philosophical development through his entire
life, the chapter on his philosophical views, intended
to show the bases of his Marxist aesthetic theories, in­
cludes only the philosophical positions he held as a
Marxist.
In preparing this study I read nearly all of Lukacs'
works (thirty-one volumes and twelve separately pub-
viii
PREFACE
lished essays, speeches, and interviews) either in Hun­
garian or in English. Where English translations were
available I cited those; otherwise I translated from the
Hungarian. Since most of Lukacs' works were originally
written in German I was conscious of the possibility of
flaws arising out of double translations. To prevent any
serious deficiencies I worked occasionally with German
texts and, in several instances, compared my translations
from the Hungarian with identical passages translated
by others directly from the original German into English.
To make the bibliography most useful, I have included
the original German titles of Lukacs' works first pub­
lished in German as well as the English translation of
titles not yet available in English.
A revised version of Chapter vm was published in
the December 1974 issue of The Educational Theatre
foumal.
I wish to express my gratitude to Professor William
Kuhlke and my brother Laszlo for their generous and
invaluable assistance.
B.K.
lX

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE Vil
1. INTRODUCTION 3
Biographical Sketch 4
The Significance of Lukacs' Work in
Aesthetics 12
2. Lutlcs' PHILOSOPHICAL WoRLD Vrnw 20
Is There a Marxist Ontology? 20
Lukacs' Marxist Theory of Knowledge 29
3· THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ART 40
4· THE THEORY OF AESTHETIC REFLECTION 54
5· THE CATEGORY OF SPECIALTY IN AESTHETICS 71
The Notion of Type 78
Totality in Art 84
6. THE LANGUAGE OF ART 88
Allegory and Symbolism 95
7· FORM AND CONTENT IN ART 103
8. THE AESTHETIC EFFECT 113
9· THE UNIQUE PRINCIPLES OF DRAMA 125
10. THE SOCIAL MISSION OF ART 142
LIST OF \V ORKS CONSULTED 149
INDEX 157

THE AESTHETICS OF
GYoRGY LUKACS

1.
INTRODUCTION
THE
active writing career of Gyorgy Lukacs ( 1885-
1971) spans the first seven decades of the twentieth cen­
tury. An unusually prolific writer (his published works
total nearly forty volumes), at the time of his death he
was still engaged in writing a "truly definitive" philo­
sophical work on Marxist ontology.1 He was eighty-six.
The changes in convictions, the revisions and rejections
of earlier works, and the frequent self-criticisms that
punctuate his long career are attributed by him to the
necessary ideological development of a non-static thinker
guided by the dialectical method and the "objective
march of history."2 Inseparable from his striving for
ideological maturity was his objective to interpret Marx
correctly and to show that Marxism is a unified and con­
sistent doctrine as well as an effective and viable method
in the field of aesthetic theory. Lukacs does not claim to
have fully understood Marx until 1931 and his definitive
work in aesthetics was not completed until 1963. The
theoretical works written during these thirty years (lived
in difficult political circumstances) show a remarkable
consistency. After the reorganizations of concepts and
needed clarifications and refinements, the main ideas
finally emerge logically solid and clear.
Influenced by the example of Lenin, Lukacs never was
an ivory-tower theorist; on the contrary, he always sought
1 Gyi:irgy Lukacs, Utam Marxhoz, r (Budapest, 1971), p. 30.
2 Gyi:irgy Lukacs, Lenin (Budapest, i 970), p. 8.
3