“Accordingly, while it is not expected of every age that it be capable of producing good art, it is demanded of the literary establishment of every age that it at least keep the memory and the standards of good art always before itself, well polished and clearly labeled. A literary establishment that cannot do this …
The Chattering Classes
[Speaking of Carlyle] “The danger, as he saw it, was in the distraction: ordinary men and women turned to ‘art,’ and the worship of art, only when they had nothing more important to do or to think about. And idle humans – bored humans – were not whole humans. They were shells, chattering away to …
Argument Weak, Shout Here
“They [literary critics] had become an interest group battling for a share of influence, seeking to preserve their sense of self-importance by bullying an increasingly disgusted public into extending their mandate for another decade or two. The more they were called to account, the louder did they howl; the more they were asked to explain …
Entertained By Decadence
“After that all was chaos, and it was no longer possible to discover just which critics were making the most definitive statements about which Voluptuous Grotesqueries. The incessant gibberish had become one long rumble in the night, and Major Critics bobbed like corks in a sea of splendid horror.” [Bryan F. Griffin, Panic Among the …
Why the Silence?
I didn’t have a chance to post anything today because Nancy and I were en route to the Auburn Avenue Pastors’ Conference. Tonight we heard D.G Hart on the spirituality of the Church, and Rich Lusk on the cultural identity of the Church. Lots of good stuff. And the singing here, as usual, is fantastic. …
If I Could Script the Hearings
“Judge Alito, I am afraid that I must come right to the point. If confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, would you allow your personal beliefs and morals to dictate anything with regard to your behavior in office?” “Senator, thank you for this opportunity to address this important question right away. I have had a …
Literature Spiraling Downward
“The rampant literary sleaziness-and make no mistake about it, we are talking about some pretty tacky humans-was almost accidental, a byproduct of institutionalized vacuity and timidity. Writers with nothing to write about invariably start covering themselves up with sex and gore, if only because they realize, almost instinctively, that those two subjects can be described …
The Apologetic for Bad Art
“The first thing we must do is get the smoke out of our eyes. Which is to say that we must start afresh, and concede publicly what most earnest men and women have always conceded privately, that the ancient apology for bad art-“the work is shoddy and disjointed because The Times are shoddy and disjointed”-is …
Football
I think the football game last night was the best college football game I have ever seen. I was going for Texas over USC throughout (a kind of heartland/left coast thing), but by the end of the game, I wanted both teams to win. What a magnificent game.
Audio Reading of Post
Yes, Citizen Ament?
In the interest of lending a helping hand in difficult times, I would like to offer a short list of suggested motions for Citizen Ament to make at the next Moscow City Council meeting. If anyone needs a little context, they can check out the recordings of portions of the last meeting at Dale Courtney’s …