On Fri, 1 Jun 2001, Henry wrote:
> Jeremy writ:
> ....and that
> a-g remains unavoidable as the name of the problem of the relationship
> between literary form and cultural politics; and further that we can
>
>
> & Henry replied:
> - but not the only name for same, Jeremy (hence not unavoidable).
> Other names:
> heavy armor
> trendy hat
> shibboleth or
> Caesar's dust
Henry -- This is what I meant by shruggery. A history exists, for better
or for worse, of usage; that usage applies to works from early in the
twentieth century and is sometimes applied to works of more recent
vintage. We can argue about the history - of course - and we can argue
about how to understand the relationship between artistic form and
cultural politics - of course. And that's a dense clot of argumentative
matter to drag from the sink; but pretending it doesn't exist remains a
strategy best suited to amnesiacs and ostrichs. The devil remains in the
convenience store.
Best,
Jeremy
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