“he”/“him” A Canadian Prairie Mennonite from the '70s & '80s, a Preacher’s Kid, slowly recovering from a hemorrhagic stroke. I am not — yet — in a 12-Step Program.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Whither Canuckle-head Criticism, continued
André Alexis responds to his responders (the noisiest of them, at least). I continue to find it all quite thought-provoking, obviously. I realize my own response misses Alexis' larger point (this country's capacity to critically engage with the culture of the published word has faded to the point of obsolescence). But I still think the issue of writer and audience is pertinent. Can any writer content herself with being heard by an audience of one, or, possibly, none?
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6 comments:
"Can any writer content herself with being heard by an audience of one, or, possibly, none?"
I've got a few older....much older relatives and they seem to be just fine in their small & intimate universe. In fact, if they knew someone else was listening, they'd get truly t.o.'ed.
I think that's a perspective that most younger writers need help with -- developing an expectation that they will probably know their readers on a first name basis, and that this is in fact a good thing.
Ran through this piece and am sorry not to be able to give more attention to the squabble (or any time to novels & reviews in question — which has nothing to with their being Canadian). It may be a particularly Canadian worry, but surely it's only a part of a larger picture. — One I see my own habits, associations implicated in.
Even if we protest it, Alexis' sense of decline is something most bloggers can relate to, I think -- particularly those of us who have passed the five-year anniversary. The combination of advancing age and the clearing out the carburetor dung often nudges us to announce closure. To keep going for the sake of keeping going is a good thing, though: the element of surprise always lurks about in the shadows of the effort.
Word verification: "ingroder" -- a trait of stubborn refusal, common to mid-life bloggers.
Ditto to your latest comment, Sir. Self-delusionary perhaps, but I think blogging is for the ultra-marathoners , not those 100 dash young whipper-snappers.
In that "carburetor dung" (Hmmm, wonder if you'll have to explain the whole concept of "carburetor"?), there are motes of wisdom. And, with age, that "dung" tends to get dense.
To keep going for the sake of keeping going is a good thing, though: the element of surprise always lurks about in the shadows of the effort.
That is timely. Have written this where it'll be reread, in a notebook/sketchbook I've been faithful to for some years (not one of the casual flings). I particularly like that I can't tell whether 'the element of surprise' suggests a forward or a holding manoeuver here. — haha
I pass (stubbornly) into the 3rd qtr. this month myself, incidentally. Not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling. Aiming at gratitude — for friends in unexpected places, among other things.
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