Aspirations to Art

My sister-in-law once asked me about literary writing. She had read something a friend had written and just wasn't impressed. The story seemed depressing and somewhat pointless. There were interesting ideas, but none of them were really explored. And in the end my sister-in-law felt unsatisfied. She wasn't alone. It was a pretty common response I think.

I read the work, and I came away with a similar feeling. The story was depressing and somewhat pointless. But for me there was deeper matter that I could get at. Some obtuse entertainment that was lost on most readers. Some part of me enjoyed the word smithing, the chiaroscuro of words.

So what was there in this story that chimed for me and not for others? Well, there's a bit of that high minded literary writing.

I'm not necessarily smarter than my brother's wife. In fact, there are many ways you could argue the opposite. But I've been trained to enjoy certain things from writing. I've been exposed to the study of the art, and as in most cases, I can see things that people who haven't studied writing just can't. It's similar to any field of study. **

There is an idea in writers, writing professors, poets, literature students, and all sorts of "intellectuals" that they are in some way better than other people. It's a common theme among any artistic mediums. Pretensions and elitism. The basic claim that, "I've studied and so my opinion matters more. If you can't understand my art, then you are a lesser being."

In film you have the Oscars and above that there are art house films. In visual medium such as sculpture, painting, mosaic, etc. you've got modernism, post-modernism, and many other -isms. The same goes for theatre. Music has it, dance has it, fashion has it, video games, and if we find a new medium that will have it too.

Now here's the big question.  Is the writing in the Literary Genre better than the writing in novels or stories that are more accessible?

Here's the big answer. Sometimes.

Most literary writing is a practice in pretentiousness. Writers who are writing to show off their supposed skill to other writers, or to impress their professors (who would likely never be impressed anyway because they are jaded by their own jilted works). Writers throw in shocking content to show that they can 'handle' heavier material. They explore the depths of depression and claim that they have some greater understanding of the world. But more often than not it is simply obtuse and they claim that anyone who cannot understand is simply unintelligent. After all, if anyone could understand it then it would be....gasp....popular.

And herein lies one of the conundrums of art. Art is an attempt to communicate, and often times a true artist can communicate feelings or ideas beyond what the uneducated in that art form can grasp. But when a piece of art becomes so obtuse as to exclude a wider audience then in some ways it fails at communicating.

Now look at the other side. Is all literary writing bad? Absolutely not. Is all popular art good? Absolutely not. As a culture moves forward with a medium they will begin to accept some traditions and reject others. Entire societies change and grow with their art. Nearly every work will include one audience and exclude others.

In some cases the literary works will be good. In other cases it will simply be pretentious. In some cases popular art will have some actual merit. In other cases is will simply be pandering.

I'll probably come back to this eventually. I think that next time I'll talk about my critical journey through theatre. I lost a lot of enjoyment in art.

Until then. Keep writing, reading, or whatever it is you do, and be great at it.

**
As an example take this fine Chemistry joke: If you're not part of the solution, your part of the precipitate.