»Art’s Refusal« examines the conditions of artistic labor within capitalist production relations, employing a Marxist methodology enriched by insights from theorists like Jacques Rancière. The book is divided into three interconnected chapters: the first explores the aesthetic and financial value of literary labor; the second provides a case study on T. S. Eliot‘s »The Waste Land«, revealing the socio-economic conditions of its creation; and the third analyzes the evolution of artistic labor post-World War II, particularly in the context of the „creative industries.“ Engaging with debates on artistic wages, unpaid labor, and cultural economics, this work offers a critical framework for understanding the economic and social dimensions of artistic production in contemporary society.
