Blake Gopnik: “While forgery is very clearly an economic crime, it may not always be an artistic or aesthetic one. Forgers can even be an art lover’s friend. Sometimes, they give us works that great artists simply didn’t get around to making. If a fake is good enough to fool experts, then it’s good enough to give the rest of us pleasure, even insight.”
Tag: 11.03.13
When Socrates Met Phaedrus: Eros In Philosophy
Simon Critchley: “Let me set the scene. It’s hot. It’s really hot. It’s the middle of the Greek summer. Socrates is in Athens where he bumps into an acquaintance called Phaedrus. They say hi. They begin to talk.”
How Much Good Can Movies Like 12 Years A Slave Really Do?
Frank Rich: “Could this film possibly preach to the unconverted? Could it reach Americans who at this late date, in the 21st century, still haven’t gotten [Harriet Beecher] Stowe’s message? Will it even be seen by any of the millions who swear by Glenn Beck? This question might be asked of all the recent movies” – The Butler, Lincoln, Django Unchained, etc. – “that touch upon America’s unfinished racial business.”
“We Would Love To Forget, I Think”: LeVar Burton On The Impact Of Roots
“We would love to forget, I think. We would love to go back to the fairy tale, to the fantasy of Tara. But it’s too easy to try and erase the sins of the past and claim, ‘That wasn’t me.’ … I’ve heard disquieting chatter on both sides of the color line. Why do we have to revisit this again? Well, we have to revisit this again because all of us have forgotten!”
“The Definite Thrill Of Virtue”: James Baldwin On Uncle Tom’s Cabin And The American Protest Novel
“[T]he avowed aim of the American protest novel is to bring greater freedom to the oppressed. They are forgiven, on the strength of these good intentions, whatever violence they do to language, whatever excessive demands they make of credibility. … The ‘protest’ novel, so far from being disturbing, is an accepted and comforting aspect of the American scene, ramifying that framework we believe to be so necessary.”
Now That The Avenue Of The Arts Is Built, How Does Philly Keep It Running?
“Philadelphia has opened most of the new concert halls, theaters, and other arts spaces it set out to build in the culture boom of the past two decades. Now, who pays the piper?”
Cornell Ready To Return 10,000 Artifacts To Iraq
“Cornell University is preparing to forfeit to Iraq a vast collection of ancient cuneiform tablets in what is expected to be one of the largest returns of antiquities by an American university.”
Is Broadway Trapped In A Scalper’s Game?
“Broadway has always been a gamble for its producers; but now it has become a multi-armed bandit for those wanting to spew winnings out of them. It’s one thing for the producers who’ve taken those upfront risks; but another entirely for those who’s only investment has been to buy the tickets in the first place, and then furiously mark up.”
Why Are Today’s Skyscrapers Such A Laugh Riot?
“Wiggly and squiggly, jagged and jutting, the iconic architectural ‘marvels’ of today make all the original midcentury stuff look like a bunch of country cottages.”
Let’s Be Serious, Here: *Is* Amazon Bad For Publishers?
“Anybody with a smartphone, anybody with an internet connection, can now order any book in print, and get it delivered straight to their door, in any moment of enthusiasm. If they’re even more impatient, or prefer e-books to physical books, they can even buy the book and start reading it in seconds. I can’t see how that can possibly be anything but great news for the publishing industry.”