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C_SQUARED

                                          December 2, 2012


You sometimes hear the (rather unconsidered)
opinion asserted that critics are completely
irrelevant and that you should rely solely
on your own direct perception of art.



If one person can get something from art
that another person doesn't, can it be
usefully communicated or described?

  It's not at all unusual in any other realm:

    Walking down the street, someone might point
    out a sign to you that you missed, perhaps a
    sign very important for the task at hand.

    In your communications with someone, a
    third person might raise questions about
    their sincerity: this then could easily
    influence your later communications,       Or perhaps obscuring the
    perhaps improving your insight             issues, muddying the waters
                                               with baseless suspicion.

                                                         In the world of "women's
                                                         fiction" (shoujo/kdrama/...)
                                                         that's a tiresome cliche, a
                                                         standard plot device-- but
  But there are reasons for the poor                     then, I suspect it's common
  opinion many people hold for critics.                  behavior in women's experience--

        Those who can't teach.                                Everyone has had that
                                                              "friend" that distorts and
        "Stating opinion as though                            lies for the sake of it,
        it's physical law"                                    often without motive.
                                    (A slashdotism)           






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