Sign-In
Cart
Mammonart: An Essay in Economic Interpretation
Paperback
PhilosophyLiterary CriticismSocial Movements
ISBN13: 9781025822280
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 404
Weight: 1.24
Height: 0.83 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Mammonart: An Essay in Economic Interpretation is a provocative and wide-ranging critique of world literature and art through the lens of economic determinism and class struggle. Written by the influential social reformer Upton Sinclair, this work challenges the traditional view of art as a pursuit of pure beauty or art for art's sake. Instead, Sinclair argues that throughout history, the creative output of painters, poets, and playwrights has frequently served as a tool for the ruling classes to maintain their social and economic dominance.
From the works of ancient Greece to the early 20th century, Sinclair examines legendary figures such as Shakespeare, Milton, Goethe, and Byron, analyzing how their creative genius was often co-opted or constrained by the financial interests of their patrons and the prevailing social order. Mammonart serves as both a revolutionary history of culture and a passionate call for a new, proletarian art that serves the interests of humanity rather than the accumulation of wealth. This work remains a seminal text for readers interested in the intersection of aesthetics, sociology, and political theory, offering a biting and insightful perspective on the power dynamics behind the world's most celebrated creative achievements.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
2 different editions
Also available
Also from
Sinclair, Upton
The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism; Evidence and Reasons Behind the Media's Corruption
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
The Brass Check: The Seminal Exposé on News Media Censorship and Propaganda
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
The Jungle (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Sinclair, Upton
Hardcover
Plays of Protest: The Naturewoman, The Machine, The Second-Story man, Prince Hagen
Sinclair, Upton
Hardcover
Jimmie Higgins: Roman D'un Ouvrier Socialiste Américain Pendant La Guerre...
Sinclair, Upton
Hardcover
The Upton Sinclair Collection: Including The Jungle, Oil! & The Moneychangers (Hardcover Library Edition)
Sinclair, Upton
Hardcover
The Upton Sinclair Collection: Including The Jungle, Oil! & The Moneychangers
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest; The writings of philosophers, poets, novelists, social reformers, and others wh
London, Jack
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
Plays of Protest: The Naturewoman, The Machine, The Second-Story man, Prince Hagen
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
Jimmie Higgins: Roman D'un Ouvrier Socialiste Américain Pendant La Guerre...
Sinclair, Upton
Paperback
Also in
Literary Criticism
Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times
Sachs, Aaron
Hardcover
Queer Faith: Reading Promiscuity and Race in the Secular Love Tradition
Sanchez, Melissa E.
Paperback
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Swerling, Lisa
Lazar, Ralph
Hardcover
Hidden Hemingway: Inside the Ernest Hemingway Archives of Oak Park
Cirino, Mark
Elder
Vetch, Aaron
Hardcover
Dante's Vita Nuova, New Edition: A Translation and an Essay
Alighieri, Dante
Pitavy, Francois
Paperback
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines (Large Print Edition)
Foster, Thomas C.
Paperback
Much ADO about Nothing: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English
Sparknotes
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
Twelfth Night: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English
Sparknotes
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It
Hauser, Emily
Paperback
Romeo and Juliet: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English
Shakespeare, William
Sparknotes
Paperback
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
Saunders, George
Paperback
Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Hamilton, Edith
Hardcover
Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise
Rundell, Katherine
Hardcover
Mean Dads for a Better America: The Generous Rewards of an Old-Fashioned Childhood
Shillue, Tom
Paperback
But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition: 40 Love Stories That Inspired Our Favorite Films
Lopez, Kristen
Hardcover
The Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paperback
Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend
Romney, Rebecca
Paperback
Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun
Harrington, Jane
Hardcover
Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A. A. Milne and the Creation of Winnie-The-Pooh
Brandreth, Gyles
Hardcover
A Midsummer Night's Dream: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English
Shakespeare, William
Sparknotes
Paperback
Julius Caesar: No Fear Shakespeare Side-By-Side Plain English
Sparknotes
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
The Odyssey: An Illustrated Guide: A Character-By-Character Guide to the Story of Odysseus
Metzger, Doug
Hardcover
The Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women: Serving Tea with a Side of Scorn
Reed, Emily
Hardcover
The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare
Swift, Daniel
Hardcover
The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to World Literature, Revised and Expanded
Fadiman, Clifton
Major, John S.
Paperback
The Greek Tragedies: Seventeen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
Sophocles
Euripides
Aeschylus
Paperback
Darkness Becomes Bright: On the Brief Life and Immortal Art of Edgar Allan Poe
Ogden, Emily
Hardcover
Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Walton, Jo
Palmer, Ada
Hardcover
A Treacherous Secret Agent: How Literature Spoke Truth to Power During the Red Scare
Garber, Marjorie
Hardcover