Beauty - content and form

Recently it has become increasingly clear to me that in aesthetics, content and form are components of the beauty of a thing. A thing (for lack of a more precise word, since it comprises literature, visual arts, music and other media) may have beautiful content, but lack beauty of form. A great may Christian children's books fall into this category. The truth that they present is beautiful, but the quality of literature and illustration is woefully lacking.

The reverse is no less common: take for example a book that has great literary and artistic value, but communicates little or nothing of lasting value. A classic example is The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss spun clever rhymes accompanied by good illustration, but the book communicated almost nothing of substance. (In fact, I think that The Cat in the Hat started a massive trend in publishing toward books that were simply silly. The effect is that the stories that shape our culture have been largely silly rather than substantial.

Rather than criticizing Christian authors and Dr. Seuss, let me offer a couple of examples of excellent literature that offer both content and form. Max Lucado's You are Special is excellent literature with superb illustration, and delivers a powerful and important message. The effect that it has on kids (and adults!) in reading is remarkable. The Story of Ruby Bridges is an excellent example of a book that does not purport to be Christian (although I think it captures the Gospel beautifully). I weep virtually every time I read it because of the beauty of what is presented, and the skill with which it is done.

This realization has set me on a mission to find things (visual arts, literature, music, and other media) for Elisabeth that possess both beautiful form and content. Recommendations are welcome!