Another thing to hate about academic and music criticism.

I know, I was waiting for one too!

The modern critical ideal is to constantly challenge the work, to ask it to justify itself. The possibility that we might learn something from the work, that it might be in a position of natural authority over its audience, is not considered at all. After having been a graduate student, you’d think I’d be able to trace this transition to a specific moment in academic history, but all I can do is bleat “‘Death of the Author,’ Roland Barthes?” at you; that would require a titanic misreading of Barthes, though (he offered increased power to the reader, but only in the name of admiring the book, rather than trying to guess the mind that made it), so I can’t imagine that’s it. We should just face the fact that Barthes is the only serious Frenchman I can remember, because he’s the only one I like.

Anyway, whoever’s fault it is, we’re living in an era where the academy has an interrogatory view of art, and has educated its students to maintain the same. And I think that’s a problem. Any good piece, produced with minimal interference, should be in a masterly position over us. It will have flaws and failings, like any teacher, and it will have better students than others (its author, presumably, the best student of all), but we should respect it and take what we can. Not sit on our knees, obviously, and admire with mouths open. Whether or not that’s legitimate, we’re much too cynical for that to even be an option. We must rank and discuss. But we should also not speak in a  judgmental mode of works that are in any way interesting.

I mean, if it sucks, that’s one thing. I might not agree that it sucks, but if you think it has nothing, of course I’m not denying your right to dismiss it. It’s silly to spend time dismissing it, but you and others might have some fun, and goodness knows that if you are a popular critic I’ll read your dismissal compulsively whether I want to or not, so whatever. I’m talking more about praise of things we do like. To praise something -”this is the best album I’ve heard in months!” is also to assume power over it, to take that teacherly role away from it, with the result that we really get nothing out of a piece except pure aesthetics. And pure aesthetics are sexy, but even Oscar Wilde wasn’t really defending them. What you want is an aesthetic and a moral education without pedantry, and a passionate empathetic swoon.

So where do we end? Be nicer to art. Hug an artwork today (doing so won’t make you stupid, though it might cause other problems, depending on the context)! Bye!