Shouldn't there be a のは in this sentence?

Question

This is a an example sentence from a JLPT textbook to explain the use of たらしめる:

想像力{そうぞうりょく}こそ作品{さくひん}を芸術{げいじゅつ}たらしめる要素{ようそ}である。

I understand the meaning, which is something like, "The key element in making a work of art out of ability is imagination."

I have this sentence in my flashcards, and even though I've looked at it dozens of times, it still seems awkward to me.

To make a long story short, it feels like it should be something like:

想像力{そうぞうりょく}こそ作品{さくひん}を芸術{げいじゅつ}たらしめるのは要素{ようそ}である。

Is my のは version any more or less grammatical? Is it merely wrong? Does it change the meaning?

If the original sentence is fine, can someone break down for me how the first part of the sentence (up to the end of たらしめる) connects and relates to the end part (要素{ようそ}である)?

Answer 1

With respect to the meaning of たらしめる, you can just follow what Matt writes, but let me add a few things.

• こそ is used to add emphasis to that noun. A literal translation will be It is ... that is ....
• Your addition of のは simply makes it ungrammatical. 作品を芸術たらしめる is a relative clause that modifies the noun 要素. And your parsing is wrong; 要素である does not come together as one.

So a literal translation will be:

It is imagination that is the element that enables a piece of work to be an art.

In the following, the outer brackets represent the noun phrase, and the inner brackets the relative clause.

想像力こそ[[作品を芸術たらしめる]要素]である。
It is imagination that is [the element [that enables a piece of work to be an art]].

Answer 2

芸術たらしめる is the causative form of 芸術たる. This たる is the たる discussed here. There are nuances, but basically たらしめる means "cause to be". (Roughly equivalent to ... にさせる in many cases, I think.)

So the sentence　is complete as it is:

• 想像力こそ = "Imagination..." + こそ (こそ is a whole other question)
• 作品を芸術たらしめる要素 = "the element that causes 'works' 作品 to be(come) 'art' 芸術"
• である = "... is" (copula)

Put that way, I think you can see that it is similar to a standard "A は B である" sentence, albeit with こそ instead of は. All together, it means, in very literal translation and not attempting to do anything clever with こそ:

• Imagination (想像力) is the element (要素) that turns 'works' (作品) into 'art' (芸術).

Answer 3

Very good answers, I see. The only thing I would add is that "こそ" adds the nuance that an italicized "the" has in English. "Imagination is the element that turns creations into art."

Answer 4

I would add "に", not のは :)

想像力こそ作品を芸術*に*たらしめる要素である。

"Imagination is the element that turns creations into art."

But I'm not very sure, mostly because, I can't parse 芸術 followed by たらしめる.