Intended Meaning
He sees poetry and literature as occupying the summit of the arts because they convey meaning through the instrument of language After them come music, then movement, then color, in this order
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: value-based
- Movement of the argument: it elevates poetry and literature to the summit of the arts because they convey meaning through language.
- Core terms: poetry, literature, the arts, language.
- Degree of centrality: subsidiary.
The arts are arranged according to the means of expression and the criterion of meaning, making language the apex of artistic formation and placing the remaining arts in subsequent ranks according to their proximity to signification.
Links That Help Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: The Book and the Qur’an
- Critique of Heritage, Jurisprudence, and Exegesis
- Poetry and Literature Top the Artistic Pyramid
Grounding
- Supporting text: «Poetry and literature are the highest of the arts because they convey meaning through the instrument of language, then comes music, then movement, then color».
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on an explicit witness close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: the formulation above is an analytical summary, and is not treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is quoted word for word.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is argumentative; it supports a larger conclusion in the chapter or prepares for it.
Related to
Editorial Note
The classification here is hierarchical and value-based more than technical.