Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Maybe I look good in green, ok?

Consider these selected quotes from Francis Ford Coppola.

First of all, it's interesting that he colludes [or the ellipsis means to insinuate that he conflates] the idea of intellectual property (and plagiarism) and material property (and copyright infringement. I understand the point of the former, and would certainly need to think about it more. Is imitation/mockery the most sincere form of flattery? What about so many examples where artists begin their career specifically by creating the OPPOSITE of what they see the current masters doing? Inasmuch as they still exist within a spectrum of analysis (self-defined by the very praxis of choosing to REACT), I wouldn't call that plagiarism. Nor do I think most authors would love to be told they were plagiarists.

Onto the latter. FFC certainly posits an interesting question. I've tried to describe the same when I talk about how I perceive hipsters, today, take the Bohemian ideal (a perfect artist trapped in poverty) and drive it to [past?] its logical extreme (an imperfect/BAD artist trapped in poverty). We don't have to touch upon that right now. What I mean to say is: yes. I agree. FFC's ideas resonate with me.

But does that mean they're right?

Imperialism and colonialism were political ideals that existed until not too long ago -- their death is far younger than the death of the formal patron structure he references -- yet I would never want them back.

Obviously that's hyperbolic. Nevertheless, what I mean to imply is that his argument for LA LONGUE DUREE is problematic because it fails to account for the simple fact that this IS the life artists live right now, this IS a capitalist society, we ARE looking, at the end of the day, for more than intellectual glorification [ideally]. Despite alarmists denunciations on the "death of art" and the "death of modernity" and the "death of publishing," there are more books published every year. You can't seriously tell me that Stephanie Meyers expects Twilight to be the intellectual genesis for a Balzacian revolution.

Dear God, I hope it won't be the intellectual genesis for a Balzacian revolution.

Do I sound like Ayn Rand?

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