--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In his book Real Presences, George…" description: "\"“In his book Real Presences, George Steiner asks us to \"imagine a society in which all talk about the arts, music and literature is prohibited.\" In suc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg" --- # In his book Real Presences, George Steiner asks us to… ![“In his book Real Presences, George Steiner asks us to "imagine a society in which all talk about the arts, music and literature is prohibited." In such a society there would be no more essays on whether Hamlet was mad or only pretending to be, no reviews of the latest exhibitions or novels, no…” quote by Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg) > ““In his book Real Presences, George Steiner asks us to "imagine a society in which all talk about the arts, music and literature is prohibited." In such a society there would be no more essays on whether Hamlet was mad or only pretending to be, no reviews of the latest exhibitions or novels, no profiles of writers or artists. There would be no secondary, or parasitic, discussion - let alone tertiary: commentary on commentary. We would have, instead, a "republic for writers and readers" with no cushion of professional opinion-makers to come between creators and audience. While the Sunday papers presently serve as a substitute for the experiencing of the actual exhibition or book, in Steiner's imagined republic the review pages would be turned into listings:catalogues and guides to what is about to open, be published, or be released. What would this republic be like? Would the arts suffer from the obliteration of this ozone of comment? Certainly not, says Steiner, for each performance of a Mahler symphony is also a critique of that symphony. Unlike the reviewer, however, the performer "invests his own being in the process of interpretation." Such interpretation is automatically responsible because the performer is answerable to the work in a way that even the most scrupulous reviewer is not. Although, most obviously, it is not only the case for drama and music; all art is also criticism. This is most clearly so when a writer or composer quotes or reworks material from another writer or composer. All literature, music, and art "embody an expository reflection which they pertain". In other words it is not only in their letters, essays, or conversation that writers like Henry James reveal themselves also to be the best critics; rather, The Portrait of a Lady is itself, among other things, a commentary on and a critique of Middlemarch. "The best readings of art are art." No sooner has Steiner summoned this imaginary republic into existence than he sighs, "The fantasy I have sketched is only that." Well, it is not. It is a real place and for much of the century it has provided a global home for millions of people. It is a republic with a simple name: jazz.”” [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art criticism is inherent in creation; performers and creators embody critique through their work. **In simple terms:** Creating art is its own criticism. Key Takeaway Recognize creation as critique. Themes art criticism interpretation authorship culture Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - performance - writing - visual arts - music reviews Key Concepts aesthetic theory intertextuality Questions to Reflect On - Can art exist without external commentary? - How does creator responsibility differ from reviewer’s? A Different Perspective May underestimate the role of external analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-criticism-430870/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creative nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-nonfiction/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Critique Symphony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critique-symphony-4612006/) [Henry james](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henry-james/) [Imagined Republic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined-republic-4612007/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Steiner Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steiner-imagined-4612005/) [Symphony Critique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symphony-critique-4612004/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I always squirm when I read what's called 'creative nonfiction,' and the writer is lobbing gobs of emotion and language at the world, hoping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/i-always-squirm-when-i-read-what-s-called-creative-nonfiction-and-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [The word 'creative' refers simply to the use of literary craft in presenting nonfiction—that is, factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-gutkind/the-word-creative-refers-simply-to-the-use-of-literary-craft-in/) [Lee Gutkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-gutkind/) > [On 'Catfish,' I'm a co-host and onscreen cameraman, maybe the second onscreen cameraman after Wes Bentley's turn in 'American Beauty,' which is funny and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-joseph/on-catfish-i-m-a-co-host-and-onscreen-cameraman-maybe-the-second/) [Max Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-joseph/) > [Inexperienced fiction and creative nonfiction writers are often told to show, not tell - to write scenes, dramatize, cut exposition, cut summary - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-alberts/inexperienced-fiction-and-creative-nonfiction-writers-are-often-told/) [Laurie Alberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-alberts/) > [I feel better off doing what I know how to do. 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There would be no secondary, or parasitic, discussion - let alone tertiary: commentary on commentary. We would have, instead, a \"republic for writers and readers\" with no cushion of professional opinion-makers to come between creators and audience. While the Sunday papers presently serve as a substitute for the experiencing of the actual exhibition or book, in Steiner's imagined republic the review pages would be turned into listings:catalogues and guides to what is about to open, be published, or be released. What would this republic be like? Would the arts suffer from the obliteration of this ozone of comment? Certainly not, says Steiner, for each performance of a Mahler symphony is also a critique of that symphony. Unlike the reviewer, however, the performer \"invests his own being in the process of interpretation.\" Such interpretation is automatically responsible because the performer is answerable to the work in a way that even the most scrupulous reviewer is not. Although, most obviously, it is not only the case for drama and music; all art is also criticism. This is most clearly so when a writer or composer quotes or reworks material from another writer or composer. All literature, music, and art \"embody an expository reflection which they pertain\". In other words it is not only in their letters, essays, or conversation that writers like Henry James reveal themselves also to be the best critics; rather, The Portrait of a Lady is itself, among other things, a commentary on and a critique of Middlemarch. \"The best readings of art are art.\" No sooner has Steiner summoned this imaginary republic into existence than he sighs, \"The fantasy I have sketched is only that.\" Well, it is not. It is a real place and for much of the century it has provided a global home for millions of people. It is a republic with a simple name: jazz.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Geoff Dyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-his-book-real-presences-george-steiner-asks-us-to-imagine-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-his-book-real-presences-george-steiner-asks-us-to-imagine-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/geoff-dyer-8822_art_in-his-book-real-presences-george-steine_1353674.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In his book Real Presences, George Steiner asks us to \"imagine a society in which all talk about the arts…” — Geoff Dyer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Geoff Dyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In his book Real Presences, George...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-his-book-real-presences-george-steiner-asks-us-to-imagine-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-his-book-real-presences-george-steiner-asks-us-to-imagine-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```