Are There Any Valid Criticisms? (aka Kalessin's Rant)

[Belin]

That's beautiful, Nar! I've been following this thread for some time with the intention of finding a way to express something like that, but I don't think I could ever have come quite that close. You've expressed JUST what I think art is about; it does That Thing to an onlooker that's so difficult to describe, and which is necessary, not an escape at all but necessary. And fantasy, used properly, is a good way to go about it, because all the literalisms and all the mundanity doesn't have to get in the way. It can go straight into you without having to pass through the stupid details of your life and yet does not in the slightest eschew detail. But fantasy is difficult, any way of doing this is difficult, so people try to use the people that went before them and they very often fail. Or,as you put it:

This would imply that later books in the fantasy tradition that fail, may fail because they do not pursue this negotiation between the deep structure and themes of the story: they just import a worn copy of Tolkien's solution, and they do so without understanding it. This argument must be waged anew for each new book within its new world for the same effect on the readers to be achieved.

And it happens very, very seldom. Tolkien, yes, and Goya, and especially Rilke (who you might want to read if you haven't; anyway he does precisely that to me) and maybe one or two others are all that I've found for it, but it does happen and it encourages me so much about what the world is about.
....and I don't have that much more to say, after all... I'm very sorry to intrude myself upon this thread without something brilliant to add myself but I was so impressed by this that I just had to respond.
And, Kalessin & Co... This is indeed a great inquiry. Thanks so very much.

--Belin Ibaimendi

[ April 13, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]