What is Art?

A detailed Summary of What is Art?

Tolstoy wrote, in What is Art? " If a man is infected by the author's condition of soul, if he feels this emotion and this union with others, then the object which has effected this is art: but if there be no such infection, if there be not this union with the same author and others who are moved by the same work-then it is not art?"

"The Death of Ivan Ilych" is art by this criteria. Tolstoy's writing keeps my attention throughout "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and awakens my soul. I have never read any literature of Leo Tolstoy, and I could not walk away from the story, I wondered what happened next. It makes me realize how important life is to be treated. This work of art expresses to me Tolstoy's views on life and death. The short story gives examples of how a person can live life the wrong way. In reading the "The Death of Ivan Ilych", many feelings stir up inside me because I can relate his experience with my grandfather that died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Tolstoy reaches the soul because he describes Ivan's life occurrence through his spiritual revelation. He observed a heartbreaking death of his brother. In reading, "The Death of Ivan Ilych" Tolstoy portrays Ivan as a thoughtless and selfish man. I see Ivan as

In reading "The Death of Ivan Ilych" many feelings stir up inside because I can relate to the life that Ivan lead with the way that my grandfather lived his life. My father's parents live in Italy, so it is a real treat to go there every summer and visit them. My grandfather is a very mean man with no compassion in his heart. He only thinks of himself. While he is still providing for his family, he is an alcoholic. Marriage to him consists of dinner at home, a homemaker, and a bed. He never has any time for his children, nor does he make time for us, his grandchildren. He r is either at work, eating, sleeping or at the bar. Years later, my grandfather is diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. The doctors do not give him long and tell him he needs to stop drinking. He stops drinking, so we think, and becomes a different person. My family becomes very happy. The change is wonderful; it feels as if we have a new grandfather. This does not last long; one day I see my grandfather leaving the bar drunk. I am devastated, but decide not to tell my father when I return from my trip from visiting his family. I know that it will hurt my father very deeply. Six months later my grandfather dies. They find my grandfather in an alley, in drunken stupor. My father is devastated, to say the least, I feel guilty and cannot even face him. One day, my dad is crying and I asked him what is wrong, he replies " he cannot understand how my grandfather could die so soon, when the doctors say he had more time to live, when he stopped drinking." I then tell my father what I had seen. I know my father believed me and he knew how hard it is for me to not say anything because I had such a big mouth at fifteen. Reading "The Death of Ivan Ilych" reminds of the need to keep family close to you. Make the time to spend with them; share with them and most of all let them know you love them. My grandfather never displayed any affection, and when he died, he died a lonely

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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English