Please do send the pictures.
And now I'm going to read all about this interesting MFA stuff.
You write:
we will soon be audience to the latest version of thousands of 'entitled' writers holding their collective breath until they are given their candy, or latest ipod, or whatever
I reply:
Well, we could also get a whole new aesthetic position, those writing along the lines of Tao Lin, or somesuch.
Good or bad, I'm ambivalent.
But, I'm not seeing much of the "entitled," more I'm finding a kind of directionlessness and veiled terror of being older than 16. Oh, I don't know. I'll think about it more.
What strikes me is not so much the sense of entitlement, but rather that it's taken for granted that artists and writers work within their own realm. One that neither feeds off of or even properly rebels against mainstream society. This can be seen on college campuses. Artists in full hair dye and nose ring ensemble, focused on absorbing "culture" and on exploring inner angst (often at the expense of actual work). Then the business and econ majors who brag about never having read a whole book but go on to successful jobs and make society's decisions.
I'm thinking that the proliferation of writing programs is an example of this societal gap, where art is cornered off by itself, rather than being seen as an integral part of the rest of society. (When was the last time we had a statesman who could create the likes of Jefferson's Monticello?)
Just some thoughts, still working them out.
What a fascinating piece. I'll be thinking about it tomorrow. Wonderful poem, too.
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