The Aesthetics of Post Bellum: From Umberto Eco to Abu al-ʿAlaʾ al-Maʿarri

Abstract

ABSTRACT War is evil, yet it brings about works of art and literature. Even so, is it ethically acceptable to wage a war in spite of all its bloody consequences, just because it may inspire some artistic masterpieces? It seems not. And is it ethically acceptable to appreciate the works of art triggered by war? This paper argues that since wars do not happen with our consent, the least that can be done is to transform them ethically, or aesthetically, towards a common good, building on individual imagination and social memory. This aesthetic justification of the consequences of war is demonstrated by examining some of the writings in English, French and Arabic literature, such as, Eco’s Inventing the Enemy, Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal, al-Maʿarri’s The Epistle of Forgiveness and The Arabian Nights, etc.