I FINISHED CULTURAL AMNESIA
I FINISHED CULTURAL AMNESIA
I FINISHED CULTURAL AMNESIA
Excuse me for my enthusiasm, but this is the first time I've completed a legitimate 850 page book. I don't think Order of the Phoenix measures up in terms of literary merit and difficulty in comparison to this book. I have read it. I have conquered the most difficult reading of my life.
That being said, I feel as though much of this book went over my head. I was too young to read this book. I understood many things, but there were many sections I merely glossed over because I did not have the focus, context, or interest to read deeply. James makes countless references to obscure cultural figures, some of which I could not identify, and others I knew only by name.
The book dealt with complexities of ideologies in the 20th century, and in that I learned a decent amount about how intellectual constructs created so much chaos and misery. About an artist living in the time of Hilter, James says, “So much lyrical talent should never have been required to deal with such an artificially contrived misery.” (p. 564) I think what makes the ideologies of the 20th century so scary is how they are easy to understand and difficult to logically refute. They are easy to disprove emotionally, but such disapproval requires much faith and bravery.
But the book wasn't only about ideologies. It also discusses the artistic process and the difference between good prose and bad prose. Unfortunately for me, I don't know how much these lessons solidified in my brain.
Reading this book makes me want to be a writer, but it also makes me feel that I am utterly incapable of doing so. Many of James's lessons on writing stated that it depends on talent, and I do not know if I am actually talented or simply average. Though I practice writing a lot, I know that my work is not literature. What is the difference? Literature is formed in a series of sentences and paragraphs which communicate a story.
I write jokes. They are good jokes, but they are merely lists. That is not bad in and of itself, but sometimes I wonder if I ought to attempt higher literature.
I believe that much of the reason I do not write longer literature is because I do not have much writing experience. Besides school, I do not write essays or stories. I haven't drafted a writing piece of mine since I wrote my college essay in October. How am I supposed to craft an excellent piece of writing when I never revise what I write? That's like a dancer who practices and performs entirely in improvisation. I suppose some people make careers that way, namely jazz musicians, but I don't think most writers could or should do that.
Still, I feel as if I've been avoiding quality checks on my writing for much too long. Luke says this is okay because I am working in the laboratory, and he has a point, but I wonder if I've been hiding. It's hard to take criticism. James explains this well. "An author's work is his personality, so he can't help feeling that any aspersions cast on it are cast on him." (p.623)
In addition to that though, quality writing is difficult and even unpleasant. Writing is like fitting together the pieces for a puzzle you haven't even seen yet. You don't know how to make it right, but you know pretty well when it's wrong. One of my close friends who wants to become a writer once told me, "I hate actually writing. It makes me cry." Perhaps that isn't true of all writers. I can get a lot of enjoyment out of revising my works. However, I get even more enjoyment out of revising other people's works.
The writers of the 20th century had to deal with more issues of profundity than now, I can clearly tell. Though we complain about the baboons in our government, they really aren't as severe as Hitler or Stalin. If artists are a product of their times, I feel as if my casual humor is actually quite appropriate. Funny, slightly cynical, but generally satisified.
I think that much of the profound literature of the 21st century will come from developing nations, not from the rest of the world. We in the US are very sheltered. The only way to truly understand that is to talk to people who live in other places. Yes, we all experience our own individual emotional issues, but it's difficult to compare them to people who must deal with those issues in addition to watching their world fall apart before their eyes into poverty and chaos.
I acknowledge that I am too sheltered to write sympathetically about many issues. I have to work with what I have and what I struggle with, which is why the book I am making for my individual project will likely be focused around personal empowerment. That is my battle. Hopefully the other battles will be tackled by other writers. And hopefully I will have the opportunity to read these other writers and help them influence the world at large.
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