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An Analysis Of John Gardner's 'On Moral Fiction'

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An Analysis Of John Gardner's 'On Moral Fiction'
Over the weekend an article surfaced about debating the practicality of art. The article argued that. When Grendel is introduced to the Dragon and the Shaper they have the greatest influence on Grendel’s journey and he voluntarily submits to these influences. The Shaper’s art is a practical one, an art that serves its time and its place. This is one of the points that Gardner emphasizes in On Moral Fiction: art is not a set of idealistic prescribed rules, or mere self-expression, but an approach that “seeks to improve life, not debase it. It seeks to hold off, at least for a while, the twilight of the gods and us.” The Shaper’s role, similar to that of a King, a philosopher, or any other leader within a society is to keep at the human condition

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