Pot-Boilers

Arthur Clive Heward BellProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 324K words
Chapters: 33

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Pot-Boilers by Clive BellAuthor: Bell, Clive, 1881-1964,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 8, 2010

Editor's review

Pot-Boilers is a collection of essays by the British art critic Clive Bell. The title literally means "things boiled in a big pot," alluding to literature and art churned out in bulk to make a living, and carries a clear pejorative and satirical edge. Bell was a key member of the Bloomsbury Group, known for his formalist art theory, and this book continues his sharp, witty critical style, discussing the vulgarization and commercialization of artistic production. The pieces are short, and the language has the ease and playfulness of early twentieth-century English prose, with aphoristic judgments amid the argument. Its value lies not in systematic theoretical construction but in offering a critic's presence and perspective, letting readers feel the sensitivity and fastidiousness of intellectuals of that era toward artistic taste. It is suitable as supplementary reading for the history of English prose and art criticism, and also for reading a piece or two in spare moments to savor its tone and wit. One caveat: the text involves many figures and works from the British literary and art worlds of the time, and readers without background may find it remote.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in British art criticism and the Bloomsbury Group
Students of early twentieth-century English prose style and diction
Readers who enjoy short essays and relish a satirical tone
University humanities students with some grounding in Anglo-American literary history

Not a good fit for

Beginners expecting systematic art theory or an introductory tutorial
Readers entirely unfamiliar with the early twentieth-century British literary scene
Readers who prefer long narrative or plot-driven works

Reading tips

Read one or two short pieces first to get a feel for Bell's tone, then decide whether to read the whole book
Note unfamiliar names and works as you go and look up the background
Read it alongside Bell's formalist writings on art to understand his critical stance
No need to read every piece closely; it works well as short bedtime or commute reading

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What does the title "Pot-Boilers" mean?

Literally it means "things boiled in a big pot"; in English it extends to literature and art hastily produced to make a living and cater to the market. Bell uses it as a title with a critical and satirical edge, pointing to the vulgarization of artistic production.

Do I need to know about Clive Bell before reading this book?

Not strictly, but it helps. Bell was a member of the Bloomsbury Group and known for his formalist art theory; understanding his basic stance helps grasp the thrust of the criticism in the text. If you read it simply as essays, you can go straight into the text.

How is this book different from his theoretical works on art?

It is not a systematic theoretical work but a collection of short essays and reviews, focusing more on judgments of specific works and phenomena, with a relaxed and satirical tone. Its theoretical density is lower than Bell's theoretical works on art, and the bar for reading is correspondingly lower.

Comments

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About the author

Arthur Clive Heward Bell Author · British · 1881–1964

Clive Bell (1881–1964), born Arthur Clive Heward Bell, was a British formalist art critic and aesthetician and a central member of the Bloomsbury Group. In Art (1914) he put forward the theory of "significant form," arguing that combinations of line and colour can directly arouse aesthetic emotion—a view that had a lasting influence on modern art criticism. Together with Roger Fry he helped promote Post-Impressionist painting in Britain. His other works include Since Cézanne and Pot-Boilers, and three of his books are held in this collection. Public information is limited; his writing is known for clear argumentation and for its focus on the relationship between form and aesthetic experience.