The Gift

The gift is Hyde’s way of speaking of the manner in which art and creativity function in the world. It is a type of shorthand, developed throughout the course of the book, for speaking of the artist’s relationship with her own talents and capacities, the processes by which these talents are put to use in the creation of an artwork, and the manner in which such artwork is received and transmitted by those who find it of particular value and worth. Hyde’s overall claim is that art and creativity come to be devalued and cheapened when they are not properly understood through the language of the gift.

Hyde carefully and clearly distinguishes the gift from market commodities. A gift is communal property, rather than private property. Its currency is gratitude, compassion, and interconnection, rather than profit. It is meant to be consumed, but this...