How can Whitman’s quote, “The artist carries the least cultural baggage” be true (Funcke 8)? Well, I do not see it as true simply because if the author’s work seems to be far from culturally normal, then it’s still influenced by it—it’s just different from it. Also, it would have to carry baggage from some culture. Even “early in his career Whitman had pondered the issue of ‘the blurring of art and life’” (Funcke 10) which is a paradox to his quote. Life can’t be avoided in art and vice versa; the two are indistinguishable in this type of format. I feel that if the artist’s work does not reflect the artist’s immediate culture, then it must reflect another, separate culture. (My mom’s a wood/stone/other hard things carver/artist, so I have some background with this topic.)
Why does Burroughs’ piece contain so many grammatical errors and ones dealing with punctuation? Does it serve a purpose, or is it a mistake related to the document being online and having fewer mandatory editors?
My final question is about Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape.” I don’t understand quite a few things about the document. It reads sort of like a play but in a different format, like a self-interpreted performance piece. Why are sections of the piece word for word repeated within it? This is a nuisance to me because I feel as if I am a great listener/reader since I pay attention the first time I listen or read a piece—I don’t like to feel as though I’m backtracking. Is the author trying to recreate a real life feel with this method?
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Yes the quote you focused on is left unexplained and enigmatic. Could it mean that the artist is of course part of culture - the blurring of art and life - but is somehow uniquely situated to work with this blurred space as raw material? So, baggage doesn't mean the artist isn't immersed in culture but rather that she isn't limited to taking it as it is...
ReplyDeleteGood question about the Beckett play. It's worth learning more about it - look at some of the youtube performances. It is an odd play, since the characters are all a single character in different times and media and sequences. So, there's is a kind of performative issue at the middle, and self-interpretation, as you put it.