Re: notes / comments
Friday, January 26, 2007
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CRITICS AND MAD DOGS
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Stand long enough at the edge of an abyss and someone is sure to push you.
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Whenever a faceless anonymous hooligan on the Internet verbally abuses me, my first reaction is to believe everything he says. Paul Valéry is right: when a mad dog bites, it hurts.
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There is nothing wrong in saying “I believe in god.” But there is something horribly wrong in saying “My god is the only true god.”
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To those who tell me I go about my criticism the wrong way, I say: Name an Armenian critic, or any critic, who went about it the right way and I will be more than happy to adopt him as my role model.
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Has anyone ever written a treatise on critical etiquette and, having done so, has not been torn to shreds by critics?
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Speaking of a Sorbonne-educated avant-garde poet, a friend tells me: “When I told him I didn’t understand his poetry, he said you will, in 25 years. I met him again last week and told him the 25 years were up and I still can’t make heads or tails of it…”
“
Nothing comes easier to a charlatan than to assume everyone else is a charlatan.
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Three of our most abundant national products: bragging, backbiting, and bullxxxxting.
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My favorite 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not aim at perfection in an imperfect world.”
#
Friday, January 26, 2007
**********************************************
CRITICS AND MAD DOGS
*************************************
Stand long enough at the edge of an abyss and someone is sure to push you.
*
Whenever a faceless anonymous hooligan on the Internet verbally abuses me, my first reaction is to believe everything he says. Paul Valéry is right: when a mad dog bites, it hurts.
*
There is nothing wrong in saying “I believe in god.” But there is something horribly wrong in saying “My god is the only true god.”
*
To those who tell me I go about my criticism the wrong way, I say: Name an Armenian critic, or any critic, who went about it the right way and I will be more than happy to adopt him as my role model.
*
Has anyone ever written a treatise on critical etiquette and, having done so, has not been torn to shreds by critics?
*
Speaking of a Sorbonne-educated avant-garde poet, a friend tells me: “When I told him I didn’t understand his poetry, he said you will, in 25 years. I met him again last week and told him the 25 years were up and I still can’t make heads or tails of it…”
“
Nothing comes easier to a charlatan than to assume everyone else is a charlatan.
*
Three of our most abundant national products: bragging, backbiting, and bullxxxxting.
*
My favorite 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not aim at perfection in an imperfect world.”
#
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