Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 14 Number 1, April 2013
___________________________________________________________________
Enchantment: on charisma and the sublime in the arts of the West. C. Stephen Jaeger. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. 424 pp. ISBN 978-0-8122-4329-1 (hardcover).
Reviewed by
Valparaiso University
Everyone knows that feeling that happens when a particular work of art, whether a painting, picture, sculpture, landscape, or moment in a film, catches our attention and carries us away into another world, another time, and imprints itself into our mind. As a young child, I can recall a field trip to the Art Museum in Chicago, remembering the miniature houses with their various depictions of scenes from historical America. This book is an attempt to explain and define what is called the charisma in art, that point in time when we entered an exalted semblance of life that dazzles and lifts us up and away from our current existence. The author calls it "charismatic art," which is a subcategory of the sublime in art. In the Introduction, an extensive discussion and definitions of what the sublime, the charismatic, and the mimetic are, are provided for the reader. Focusing on the congruence of representation and experience, the author bases his arguments for extending the charismatic from literary theory into other aspects of the arts on Erich Auerbach's book Mimesis (1957). Mimesis is the basis for much of the discussion and commentaries throughout each of the chapters in the book.
The author provides a short history of the term "charisma" as a concept, focusing on Max Weber's studies on charismatic leadership and various uses of the term in religion, politics, sociology, history, and psychology. Chapter 1 begins with the oft-quoted Weber definition of personal charisma, which the author then moves into the arts, eventually providing a list of charismatic effects for the reader, and commenting on how charisma and representation appear in various literary texts and paintings. There is even a short mention of the TV series Star Trek and how the charisma of the characters and plots plays on in the viewers' minds long after the TV screen goes blank. In Chapter 2, living art is examined, specifically the body. The author uses body art (tattooing), medieval tombs in cathedrals, the body within literature, and self-portraits as examples of charisma related to the body. Chapter 3 contains a close examination of the Homeric world, especially as represented by The Odyssey and Odysseus, discussing how this early surviving epic has remained charismatic through the centuries. Chapter 4 examines how icons and relics work within society, and how charisma and the sublime work through pictures and images of Christ and the saints. The author has written previously on the topic of the sublime in medieval settings, so there are plenty of pictures and portraits in this chapter. Chapter 5 discusses mid-to-late medievalism, the beginnings of humanism, and how literature and art and the concept of physical beauty began to permeate Western society. The author also discusses the charismatic in medieval education and the interactions between student and teacher. The cult of the person as related to the popularity of Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) is presented as well. Chapter 6 works through medieval romances, courtly love, and the feudal culture of late medieval Europe. The Arthurian epic, adventure and fantasy tales, and chivalry are all examined and presented in light of Auerbach's book. Chapter 7 begins to see the rise of the individual and Renaissance culture by discussing the fascination with the human face in art. Albrecht Durer's self-portrait and its similarities to depictions of Christ's face by other artists is an interesting phenomenon in Renaissance art. Looking back at ancient Greece for inspiration and charisma in the Renaissance is another instance. In Chapter 8, the author begins to provide detailed analyses of various books of literature; Cervantes' Don Quixote for this chapter. Chapter 9 moves to Goethe's Faust, while Chapter 10 discusses Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo" and Rodin's sculptures. Chapter 11 moves into early American cinema, and how film began to evoke charisma and the sublime in early twentieth century America and beyond. The concept of the movie star in today's society is an extension of the charismatic and sublime in art. Chapter 12 focuses on American neorealism and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, while Chapter 13 moves into modern-day cinema and the films of Woody Allen. The Conclusion brings all of the pieces together, relating how the charisma in art has been followed from ancient to modern times, and how we all are charmed and bedazzled by the many instances of the sublime that surround us.