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rosekk's review
3.0
I disagree with almost all of it (between Rousseau's attitude to women, and his vehement disapproval of theatre and emotive tales, we we're never going to agree here), but it has been helpful to read nonetheless, and has been, in terms of writing style, an easy read.
vonnemiste's review
2.0
I tried my hardest to finish this slog of a treatise, but I simply couldn't get through it all. "Politics and the Arts" is Rousseau's response to Monsieur D'Alembert's public letter explaining the need for the establishment of a theatre in Geneva. Rousseau responded with a lengthy explanation as to why this was a bad idea, offering up a stew of just-so reasonings, half-remembered explications of the moral and aesthetic content of Moliere's most famous plays, complaints about women's political empowerment, and fallacious claims about authenticity to make his argument. It is, to put it simply, a mess of contradictions, oversimplifications, and biases masquerading as facts. The translation, however, is clear and good, as are Bloom's extensive footnotes, warranting a two-star rating instead of a one-star rating.
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