Artistic value as a legal problem: the case of contemporary Lithuania
ENIn literary theory, “artistic value” is one of the most widely debated terms. While for some purposes (e. g., in more sociological theories) it can be broadly taken to be reflected in the reception of a literary work, the most profound thinkers and theorists tend to admit that a certain unpredictability is in the very nature of art, and some of its functions are essentially unexpected. However, “artistic value” is also implied in the Lithuanian legislation defining the relationships of the artists and the state, and employed as a criterion in literary competitions for public money (generally in the form of either state subsidies for publishing or statefunded literary prizes), and as such it needs more accountability and a less fuzzy definition than academic theories can afford. The presentation first reviews the main trends of defining the function or “value” of the art in major literary theories and identifies three possible sources from which the value can stem: author-genius, language itself, and social context. Next, the presentation examine the Lithuanian Law of the Status of Artists and Their Organisations to see what definition of value is implied in it. At first sight it seems like the Law mainly deals in categories and criteria of the social context, but on closer examination it appears that so much power and so little accountability is granted to the artists’ unions, that it is almost possible to say that the real concept behind the Law is the romantic one, in which an author is genius and the best judge of his own work. Keywords: artistic value, legal definition, literary theories, law. [From the publication]
