A new Divine Comedy will not be made, nor would it make sense to make one, even though it can rightly be considered the supreme model of artistic achievement in literature. In this sense, it must be admitted: the change of the times demands an art that represents it. However, having all the culture of an era condensed there, harmonizing with the manifestation of a very individual conscience which, although it moves in it and expresses itself through it, manages to paint it and judge it at the same time, is a lesson that the modern artist does very well to assimilate. The present time is, and always will be, a unique opportunity. The new is necessary, but it will not be valuable if it is not based on an old and immortal understanding.
Tag: literature
A New Orientation Arises When the Writer…
A new orientation arises when the writer realizes and assumes the intellectual heritage of which he is a beneficiary, and which must be manifested through his work. Although not realizing it is difficult, taking it on requires deliberation. Only in this way, by integrating himself into a tradition that precedes him, does he obtain the peace of mind and certainty of working on something that will surpass him. For the modern writer, nothing can do as much good as reversing the egotistical and vain tendency, filling himself with humility and consciously dedicating his life to continuing something that has already begun.
One of the Most Difficult Aspects of Literature…
One of the most difficult aspects of literature is that, given that only fortunate writers create or enjoy the possibility of dedicating themselves entirely to writing, coupled with the sometimes indistinct return and the impression that writing is a burden, it is easy to relegate the profession. As a result, few persevere, and even those who do sometimes report nothing more than discouragement at the act of persevering. Fortunately, duty is often incoherent, and the afflicted worker misjudges the return on what has been produced.
It Is a Pity That St. Augustine’s Confessions…
It is a pity that St. Augustine’s Confessions did not found a school, and that the style, or rather the type of discourse used there, is found almost nowhere else. This work teaches, in a word, what it means to speak with the utmost sincerity, something that not only any writer, but any man must know. And, in truth, it is impossible to reach such an extreme unless you are speaking to a knowingly omniscient observer, from whom nothing can be hidden and who, for every word you say, knows many more that you could not or would not confess. It is a pity that such a model did not found a school…