Very often, the best tool for literary self-promotion is criticism. And very often, such criticism ends up devolving into outright slander. The examples are endless. The author, sometimes a future author, begins his career by opposing the model he dislikes. He censures, disapproves, lists flaws, and disparages. The target, usually long gone, does not respond. And that’s the end of it. While, on the one hand, the critic ends up refining his own ideas through criticism, on the other, he cannot prevent negative feelings from arising from it. Some time later, he will wonder: was that really necessary? And it turns out that, in literature, styles, themes, and possibilities are so varied that it is very easy to dislike something when confronted with that other, intensely strong identification. Therefore, is it justified for a writer to devote himself to attacking another writer? Undoubtedly, but only when mere preference is supplanted by a sense of betrayal of the vocation.
Category: Notes
Something Happens During the First Transgression
Every adult knows that, psychologically, something happens during the first transgression. And when one realizes, alongside the importance of following the rules, the possibility of breaking them all, the impact is definitive. Not only that, but it is a fundamental experience. Such a possibility is, after all, that of refusal, of choice, without which there is no awareness in the act, and therefore conformity becomes devoid of merit and meaning. It may not be wise to teach this to a child, of course; but an adult who is unaware of this truth has simply not matured.
The Absurdity of Not Wanting Traumatic…
The absurdity of not wanting traumatic experiences lies in the fact that such experiences are often the most memorable and rewarding, from which one can reap the most abundant and lasting benefits. It is not uncommon for a fruitful life to be built around them; an admirable life that knows how to transcend the negative and create something of value from it. Why, then, would we not want them? Because we are naturally inclined to believe that a pleasant life is superior to a fruitful one. What a mistake! And, when all is said and done, it is not hard to see how much more satisfying it is to be able to look back and admire how much one has done and how much one has managed to transform.
Some of the Most Valuable Lessons Life Has…
Some of the most valuable lessons life has to offer are those revealed by a contrast with common expectations. It is, for example, when one discovers that true generosity does not always present itself in a generous guise; or, conversely, that a violence, an enormous evil, lies hidden beneath the best of dispositions. Such experiences teach us a great deal about the essential nature of people and their intentions. Through them, one learns to admire and to despise in an unconventional way—but in a more dignified manner that values what is truly valuable.