Chapter 12 10/11

In this chapter, both M.H. Abrams and Arthur Berger discuss their models on art and society. Abrams begins by pointing out that most people focus on one of four elements in the total situation of art and tend to neglect other possibly important ideas. The first of Abrams elements is work, which is the product itself. The second element in his model is the artist, or the producer of the work. The third element is a very broad term. It is the subject of the work, defined by the term universe. Abrams argues that the universe, or subject, is taken from things in relation to the existing circumstances. The final element in Abrams model is the audience, anybody to whom the work is addressed or whoever the works becomes available to. Abrams model is drawn out in the shape of a triangle with whatever is being discussed or needed to be explained in the center, depicted as the word “work”. Arthur Berger has also created his own model for art and society that is very similar to Abrams. However, Berger adds media to his model and also replaces the word universe with society because he feels it is too broad of a word. By adding media to the model, Berger argues that there are five elements that one deals with when considering mass-mediated communication. Also, to make it easier for readers to understand his concepts, Berger uses words that start with “A”, except for media. In Berger’s model, there is an artist (sender of the message), Art (the thing that conveys a message), Audience (those who receive the message), America (a society in which the message is interpreted in), and a Medium (how the audience receives the message). In Berger’s model, all of the points are connected and are capable of influencing one another. Both Abram’s and Berger’s model are very similar to Laswell’s model of communication. Laswell’s Who, is the artist in both models. His Says What, is the work in Abrams model and the Artwork in Berger’s model. His In Which Channel, is not in Abram’s model, but is Medium in Berger’s model. Laswell’s To Whom, is compared to the audience in both models, while the With What Effect, is the Universe in Abram’s model and the America (society) in Berger’s model.