Critics Corner

I kind of do need a better map of the 'critical terrain', I guess. At least have a Reference. The Preface is a big vague- the three 'waves' and 'the dull duty of the editor'. Very interesting discussion of Emily Dickinson in the Introduction; how to conceive her work as a response to her own times instead of an anticipation of the 'modern'. 

The editor suggests that the whole critical endeavor is a bit of a vicious circle where 'in order to understand anything we need first to have understand everything."

Part One: "Classic Texts in Literary Criticism", bound to be rough going. Interesting about Plato though:

"Truth, Goodness, Beauty"- Plato thought it a  bit dangerous to suppose  they had the flickering impermanence of human words. He feared that like language, even matter, could be shaped to cheat and deceive'- so here you have the idea of the commodity fetish, reification still born and the idea of fake news off to the races.

Phaedrus has the story of the God Thamos who tells the inventor of writing Theuth 'this discovery of yours will cause  forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember themselves. . . they will be the hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; the will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without reality."

They will acknowledge mistakes as a means to forget and repeat them.

But who can read all this old  stuff-? Plato, Aristotle and Tolstoy, who seems almost moronic in the way he repudiates his  own'great works’. Of course the concept of catharsis is important- a purging of violent emotions, like the workings powerful laxative which leaves the soul 'lightened and delighted".  Anyway, you know how you feel at the end of a great movie, kind of battered and light-headed.

As for the plot, Aristotle  says, "it is necessary that the action be put together in such away that if any one part is transposed or removed, the whole will be disordered and dis-unified. For that whose presence or absence has no evident effect is not part of the whole."

"Horace's aim was to blend witty reminders and sage maxims in an entertaining way". We still speak of 'purple passages' in prose and say  -Parturunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus -(the mountains labor, giving birth to a ridiculous mouse) or 'make mountains out of molehills'. Catchwords and proverbs.

His (Horace's ) ambition was to be read and praised, his terror to be ignored and laughed at.  He gets both even unto the present day.