What is Art?

This something I wrote for my theatre theory class. I thought it was interesting so here it is. I foresee posting more stuff from my classes this semester. Let me know what you think.

When thinking about art and the art subset that is literature and drama in particular and decide what is good reading I tend to look at three things:

• Is the writing good? that is the first thing that allows me to enjoy a play and hence consider it good. If the writing lacks realistic diction, a plot which makes some sort of sense, and is readable. I can read the play and look for the two other things that make reading something worthwhile.
  
  
• Is there worthwhile ideas being discussed? I tend to enjoy writing that presents ideas and intellectual questions to the audience or readers. I am not a person that needs to be comfortable with the subject matter in a piece of literature.
  
  
• Is there some reason for the story? In a perfect world I would believe in art for art's sake, but I do not. Free flowing art that exists because it was created in a medium with no other purpose, is not art(in fact it is usually a waste of tax dollars but that is a topic for another time). Literature exist to engage, entertain, inform, or make the viewer uneasy(yes that was a stretch). A story or any artworks should have a reason.