On 27/8/05 8:23 PM, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> But I am tired of people who hide behind the notion of taste, especially as
> they seem to bring it into play only when needed, when cornered.
Tim, are you here appealing to a transcendent set of universal and objective
qualities that (fortunately for you) you have access to? Because if you do
believe in such a thing, even given your utilitarian, if contextual,
approach ("Bad writing is basically writing which does not do the job that
it sets out to do") then I simply disagree with you. If not, then you are
left, whether you like it or not, with some version of subjective judgement
or taste, with all the limitations that implies. Or is there some other
possibility that I don't understand? Nor do I see how articulating one's
sense of taste is "hiding", it seems more exposing to me; what seems like
hiding is the blind of verities. Which perhaps you do not intend, but which
seems all the same implicit in what you are saying here.
Best
A
> In the usual run of things I often say that something is 'bad writing', and I
> do not have nightmares about using the phrase. Bad writing is basically
> writing which does not do the job that it sets out to do, within its remit and
> context etc, or at least does not do it very well. Therefore I would not
> consider a six year old's little story to be bad writing but I might very well
> think that a poem by 25 year old Mr X was. When we get into the use of writing
> as art-form - some poetry for example - the problems of remit and context
> become almost impenetrable, but not completely, that is why there exists such
> a thing as literary criticism - and by literary criticism I do not just mean
> the established journalistic or academic varieties but any consideration or
> discussion on the effectiveness and nature of a creative text. Such
> consideration and discussion is a natural thing to do, a fun thing to do as
> well. But I am tired of people who hide behind the notion of taste, especially
> as they seem to bring it into play only when needed, when cornered.
>
> Tim A.
Alison Croggon
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
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