>I'm not making overall judgments, Donne was a better
>and more worthy overall person because he was great
>poet. That's stupid. Some geniuses are lousy people.
>We've talked about Marx, Newton was far worse. But the
>realized talents of Donne, Marx, Newton, deserve out
>honor, no? And while their reward may be the doing of
>what they did and the respect of those able able to
>appreciate it, they deserve that respect, even though
>what they did is largely a matter of luck over which
>they had no control, a gift of the gods. The gifts of
>the gods are to be revered and not lightly last away.
>
>
>
If I were an artist, I'd much rather be understood than honored. Honor
is a cheap shortcut for the audience; to understand an artist or a work
of art takes a fair amount of work.
Joanna