Although the work of critics is of great use to the student—who must chart a course of study and find a way to select, without prior knowledge, the works that best suit him—it is undoubtedly better to approach a work without knowing what has been said about it, and to allow it to make its own impression through an intimate relationship between author and reader. Then, the criticism, which will be better understood, and perhaps stimulate an additional reading. It happens, however, that it is not always possible, nor convenient, to do so, since, first and foremost, one must decide what to read. So one must deal with the unpleasant sensation of, while reading, having to push aside from one’s mind the already known judgments that will persistently try to intrude.
Tag: literature
A Good Point at Which a Writer Can Truly…
A good point at which a writer can truly consider himself a professional in the literary arts is when he begins to take pleasure in the study of language, that is, when he begins to enjoy delving into daunting grammar books, highly complex linguistic studies, and the like. It is when, in this realm that is inscrutable to most, he finally feels at home. And it is when he realizes he is capable of truly polishing a text, paying close attention to details, aware of the immense power of words, of the fact that, sometimes, a single word is enough to change everything in a speech or a narrative. Every difficult skill, mastered with great effort, usually bestows this reward: the difficulty begins to delight. But there are skills whose difficulty has a clear limit; in the letters, there seems to be none.
Alongside the Clichéd Exaltation…
Alongside the clichéd exaltation, there are, here and there in literature, more sober but much more genuine examples of the recognition of nature’s real, everyday, and sometimes marvelous influence on the author’s life. Some might find it strange that they are not so frequent, and others might judge them as idealistic as the former; but the fact is that, on the one hand, it takes experience and open eyes to notice it, and, on the other, one must admit that they are simply real. Sometimes, a window is enough. And the landscape, when least expected, when most needed, invades the house, invades the spirit, transforms the mood, and gives the situation a new direction. Regrettably, there are those who go through life without experiencing it; but one must be aware that such a thing is possible, and, having that awareness, there is nothing more reasonable than the effort to make it happen.
It Is Not Uncommon to Encounter Authors…
It is not uncommon to encounter authors who, after advancing in their studies and literary careers, renounce their former mentors. And if this is true of mentors, it is even more common for them to renounce authors they once admired, who contributed to their intellectual development. On the one hand, intellectual evolution involves significant shifts in thought, and there are times when the change occurs in the mentor himself, who becomes different from who he once was. However, it is an extremely difficult task to repudiate without simultaneously sweeping away the feeling of gratitude. It may seem to the philosopher, after reaching lofty heights, a shame to have benefited, as a young man, from a journalist, an economist, or some figure from the so-called intellectual lower ranks. What utter nonsense! It is far more honorable, from up there, to remember the unique path that allowed him to ascend.