Belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 The belief that an entity or event has within itself its own meaning or purpose. 2 (context arts English) In literature or art, the belief that a work, having been created, is a justification in and of itself. Poems with a unified rhetorical device ...

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
autotelism \autotelism\ n. 1. belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification.

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification