---Jim heartfield <jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Which, may I suggest only demonstrates that ideas from politics rarely
> translate well into aesthetics. Yes, Bloom was a social conservative,
> but as far as the canon goes he is quite correct. The idea that the
> canon of literature (or of the visual arts) is repressive is a
> mistranslation of a political idea of revolution into an aesthetic
idea
> of development.
The development of a canon depends on political decisions as to who gets in and who doesn't. Aesthetics aren't god-delivered laws, as I think we'd agree. T.S. Eliot popularized the Metaphysical Poets, did much to shape up their aesthetic viability, and helped shape the course of Modernism in the process. Today in the US Charles Brockden Brown is enjoying his first popularity, thanks to the emergence of "Amercanism" in academia. Bloom's canon isn't very generous to female writers. Aesthetic development, such as you frame it, is largely a result of politics.
>
> I really don't know what you mean by 'ideological' in this context.
> Artistic schools are not engaged in class struggle, and have no need
of
> ideological masking of class positions.
What I mean by ideology is roughly an aesthetic theory impacted with moral, ethical, etc. dimensions that aren't aesthetic as such. Ideology in the sense that an artistic tradition (techniques, styles) can imply evaluations of good and bad, masculine and feminine, for instance, that aren't set in stone but perpetuated for better or worse. Not to mention the class position of expensive colleges, and how it might be in their interests not to challenge the status-quo. Bloom's made much of a career out of his canon. I don't mean to harp too much on Bloom.
> Technique and style should be de-contextualised from social and
> political-economic context (as this sentence should be properly sub-
> edited).
On a humorous note, this reminds me of Frank O'Hara saying (I'm paraphrasing), if a couple of muggers come your way meaning business, you're not going to explain to them how you were the top sprinter on your high school track squad. You're going to run as fast as you can.
But seriously, Helen Vendler has argued that Oscar Wilde's sensibility and work suffered from his time in jail. That may be possible, inside the formal context of his previous works. But from what I remember she implied that good art requires certain amenities and repose in one's material conditions. This brings a baggage of class judgments to bear on artistic works.
Why do you read who you read? Because they are good,
Nah, I mostly like to read period. Whether something's "good" or "bad" doesn't determine why it interests me, and I can usually find something useful, even if negatively. Diferent writers, different books, different uses.
Alec _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com