It is more or less inevitable that the poet who sets out to criticize other poets will value in them precisely the qualities he seeks to develop in his own work. Involuntarily, the spotlight falls on what attracts him most. For this reason, it is not uncommon for a poet’s criticism to reveal more about himself than about the author he is criticizing. And that is a very good thing. Almost always, the best parts of his criticism are those in which the poet forgets the role he is playing and lets his personal interpretation flow freely. When we compare them with other passages in which are pointed out aspects, or even authors with whom the poet-critic identifies less, the criticism, even if good, seems somewhat bland.
Category: Notes
Perhaps No Work Has Yet Been Written…
Perhaps no work has yet been written documenting the deterioration in everyday relationships due to a justifiable aversion to companies, which crystallizes into a repellent reaction to any kind of initial approach. The man who, today, possesses a cell phone number and walks daily through metropolitan commercial avenues will have to develop an anti-company shield; otherwise, he will spend a good part of his day paying attention to them. And since these shrewd companies are always developing new ways to “humanize” their harassment, sooner or later the shield ends up turning against ordinary people. The phenomenon is there, its victims are flooding the streets, and anyone who could objectively justify the resulting lack of manners would deserve praise.
Literary Criticism Suffers From the Impossibility…
Literary criticism suffers from the impossibility of fully objectifying the criteria for judging works, with its judgments thus always being more or less based on personal preferences. So far, so good. The problem arises when the critic feels compelled to always present himself as objective, when it is clear that he often is not. This leads to a lot of unnecessary controversy, which could perhaps be avoided if the verbs “I think,” “I prefer,” and “it seems” were more common in criticism. The best thing, without a doubt, is to leave this field to those who are truly gifted, and find other ways, without ever presenting oneself as a critic, to express preferences and opinions.
The Story of Aladdin Is One of Those Stories…
The story of Aladdin is one of those stories that, whether you are young or old, makes you dream. And it is really impossible to read it and not imagine everything that could be asked of the famous jinni, how wonderfully simple the resolution of all problems would become. One also soon begins to think what a fool the protagonist was, asking for so little, making such superficial use of the immense power that fell into his hands. Undoubtedly, the strength of this story lies in its enchanting suggestiveness, to which no man can remain indifferent. All this stuff about sultans, magicians, jewels, and princesses may be utter nonsense, but rare are the stories that so intensely set the mind to dreaming.