“Art for art's sake,” is a common critical adage. Scions of this board (like Stlukesguild,
now sadly missing) have often promoted it. I have no objections to this general critical approach.
Nonetheless, it seems to me that many great artists aspire to be philosophers and propagandists. Their art is driven by, informed by, and improved by their faith in their own philosophies, and their desire to promote them.
Many of the very greatest works of literary art are meant by their creators to propagandize. The authors of the Gospels, Tolstoy, Dante, G.B. Shaw, Dickens, Swift, Cervantes, and many more were (it seems to me judging by their works more than their biographies) desirous of being philosophers and of promoting their philosophies.
Indeed, I think Tolstoy's dislike of Shakespeare may have stemmed from the fact that Shakespeare is one of the few great artists who did NOT have a philosophic bent, and therefore Tolstoy thought his plays were “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare did propagandize for the Tudor monarchy, but that's practical, not philosophical.)
If we look at great poets this philosophical bent is even more explicit.
To us moderns, extreme convictions seem almost bigoted. But in real life, bigotry is most evident in those who have no convictions at all (like our current President). Fanaticism produces arguments (and art); indifference to ideas produces bigotry. Propagandists are philosophers and as such they work in the realm of ideas and ideals. They take ideas and ideals seriously; the bigot simply latches onto ideas and ideals at random.
Just as a teenager might fall in love too easily (because he has no experience with women), those who are not accustomed to the battle of ideas may latch on to any one of them as easily as any other.
The propagandist must arm himself and prepare for battle. He must sharpen his mind and sharpen his literary skills. He is fighting for something which (to him) is more important than art for art's sake, and his art may benefit from the passion with which he fights.