tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8453413083440372327.post6549998878041980289..comments2022-11-13T07:12:39.935-05:00Comments on Icarus’s Labyrinth: My own self-important rant on what is Good in artJosé Iriartehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03653811568201804995noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8453413083440372327.post-3624549635104328602009-02-09T00:54:00.000-05:002009-02-09T00:54:00.000-05:00Thanks!It's like some people forget why this whole...Thanks!<BR/><BR/>It's like some people forget why this whole "art" thing exists. It's not reserved for the elite. There's nothing wrong with creating or enjoying art that caters to a sophisticated palate, but a lot of people seem to buy into the notion that telling stories to one class of people is intrinsically better than telling them to another.<BR/><BR/>I aspire to be a storyteller, in the tradition of folks around the campfire since time began. That's plenty noble for me. My stories may or may not be judged as literary--because ultimately they'll be whatever stories I want to tell, hoping that enough people will share my tastes--but either way I'll measure their success not by how many people find them literary, but by how many people find them moving, powerful, truthful, etc.José Iriartehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03653811568201804995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8453413083440372327.post-62540822660962858962009-02-08T19:59:00.000-05:002009-02-08T19:59:00.000-05:00Well done and agreed with you, Joe! I'll say this...Well done and agreed with you, Joe! I'll say this - a few years ago, I enrolled to do a novel writing course with one of Australia's award winning literary writer. On one occassion, we were talking about books we liked. I mentioned Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" and oh my god, the looks I got from the gourp and (obviously) from the tutor were enough to burn me 300 times. I knew that I was in the wrong crowd! (That was another story.) Afterwards, I thought long and hard if there was something wrong about me enjoying Brown's book. I decided the answer was "No". I have learn a few things about storytelling which are beneficial to me as a writer-in-practice. Also I was greatly entertained and some passages did move me. So what else do you want from a book? Hence, well said and really appreciate you made a stand. Thank you! :)Hybrid Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09495322758574425713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8453413083440372327.post-65983804347632353402009-02-05T23:12:00.000-05:002009-02-05T23:12:00.000-05:00*nod*I think there is this mentality that reading,...*nod*<BR/><BR/>I think there is this mentality that reading, and art consumption in general, has to be an unpleasant experience for it to be worthwhile. Maybe it's because in life so many things that are pleasant are bad for you. But art isn't medicine!<BR/><BR/>(And there's also an element of smugness. <I>Anybody</I> can like the stuff that's fun; it takes a genius to like the stuff most people don't enjoy.)<BR/><BR/>:)José Iriartehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03653811568201804995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8453413083440372327.post-58641042769488305142009-02-05T16:16:00.000-05:002009-02-05T16:16:00.000-05:00Well said. And I agree on all of your points. What...Well said. And I agree on all of your points. What I find "good" is based on yes, how it moved me, what connection did I make to it, did I love the language, the rhythm, the topic, did I feel as if I learned from it or was entertained by it. And I so love the way you state it that if moving you (us) is less significant than moving a literary writer, then it is nothing less than arrogance at it's full form.<BR/><BR/>I read Kafka's shorts stories over the summer. A great literary writer, right? Yes, his Metamorphosis, one of his most famous short stories was highly creative, but as with every other single story I read, I hated them all. All. They were full of despair and tragedy and graphic, unsettling images. It was not enjoyable but I read them anyway. This is not to say the book is not good - obviously his writings are hailed as one of the best - but it failed to leave me impressed.rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18248554235709475320noreply@blogger.com