Saturday, January 03, 2009

Good for him ...

... George Orwell: Forgiving and Championing Bad Art. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In general, Orwell forgives and even champions bad art, obscenity, and quietism if it seems honest. Intellectuals, though, are dishonest about their aims, which they obfuscate by abusing language; their ambitions, which they cloak by abjuring the more explicit forms of violence; and their appreciation of popular culture, as they seek to shun their connection to ordinary people. This Orwell finds unforgivable. He assumes that anything the intellectuals hate must have some redeeming qualities.
I guess I'm more "Orwellian" than I realized.

No comments:

Post a Comment