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The Aesthetics of Organicism
455 direction. Organicism emphasizes dimen- pressed or expressed, vague or clear, sigsion rather than mean. For the range be- nificant (symbolical) or self-contained in tween perfect simplicity and complete meaning, unique or universal in nature, complexity is very wide, and one may, at private or social in character, important times, properly devote himself to search or unimportant, compared (evaluated) or for greater complexity, or for greater uncompared. In order to illustrate in simplicity, in the interest of organic unity. greater detail the Organicist way of treatTo the extent that Greene interprets such ing polarities in art, I select an issue long a "mean" as "a happy resolution of the debated among interpreters of poetry, dynamic tension between the extremes of namely, whether a poem is better underempty simplicity and unorganized com- stood in terms of what is presented within plexity," however, our seeming disagree the poem itself or in terms of its backment is merely verbal. D. Although each of ground, causes, associations, and comparithe three, and more, polarities may con- sons. The method used by those who hold tribute to larger and more complicatedly the former view is called explication, and interdependent sets of criteria for judging adherents to this view have established an artistic experiences, I am disinclined to expository journal called The Explicator. speak of aristic perfection, even though Stipulatively naming the two views "exenjoyment of intrinsic value is, in a funda- plicationism" and "implicationism," I premental sense, what may be meant by per- sent, in skeleton outline, the Organicist fection. Organicism idealizes imperfection view, which might be called "organiplicaor incompleteness as well as perfection or tionism." completeness as joint contributers to or- 1. Extreme explicationism: A poem (or ganic unity. The paradoxicalness witnessed any work of art as experienced) is best in discussing Hedonism and disinterested appreciated when it is understood cominterest remains inherent in the nature pletely in terms of its own contents without of polarity generally. So, there is a sense reference to anything external to it whatin which an experience which is both soever. 2. Extreme implicationism: A poem perfect and imperfect, both complete in is a product of multiplicities of causal some sense and incomplete in some other factors, etc., and so is best appreciated sense, is more perfect, or more complete, when understood completely in terms of than one from which incompleteness is such external factors. 3. Modified explicamissing. Here we have a clue to the nature tionism: A poem involves both internal of the organic which Organicism idealizes. and external aspects, or factors, but the That which is perfect merely is imperfect internal factors are more important in in the sense that such imperfection is understanding and appreciating it than the missing; that which is merely imperfect is external factors. 4. Modified implicationperfect in whatever sense it is "mere." ism: A poem involves both internal and Thus the joint, or successive, relative external aspects, but the external factors domination by both complete and in- are more important in understanding complete aspects of experience provides a and appreciating it than the internal facdynamic richness which is better (i.e., in tors. 5. Extreme middlism: The internal one sense more perfect) than an experience and external factors involved in the nature which is impoverished, relatively speak of a poem are exactly equal in significance ing, by being completely dominated by for understanding and appreciation. 6. either the complete (aesthetic) or incom. Modified middlism: The internal and explete (moral) aspects alone.
ternal factors involved in the nature of a Other polarities which may be involved poem are never exactly equal in signifiin any artistic experience include all of cance for understanding and appreciating the categoreal polarities of existence25 and it, for actually one or the other is always experience. Experiences vary, for example, somewhat more important than the other. relative to whether an art object is im- 7. Extreme dualism: The internal and ex
