
It's pretty easy to point one's finger at a work of art, especially challenging art, and denounce it as ideologically unsavory in some way. Anyone can (re)apply this or that political formula (e.g. the "Woman in the Refrigerator" or any of the other 3 million ways to reduce a story to who's-doing-what-to-whom) and bandy about the -isms of the day in a denunciatory fashion. There are people with tenure right now who have made entire careers out of doing nothing but. It's a lot harder, however, to make a sincere effort to participate in an artist's world view, to try to give him or her the benefit of the doubt, to make an honest and uncompromising critique that nonetheless adds value to the world rather than merely taking it away.
I'm talking about imaginative generosity, not apologia. And I'm not always great at taking my own advice--I talk more lazy, cheap, snide, cynical shit than a lot of people I know. I'm just saying I'd rather watch Othello than Gothika.
RATING: 8%
(Image from mincer.en.alibaba.com.)
3 comments:
And here I thought I was going to publish my 75th comic book review in a row with zero comments. But can't we all agree that reductive criticism is fun, even if it ruins literature for everybody?
I ruin literature for everybody!
YOUR A RACIST!
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