Henry, what a wonderful and truly sobering reflection on this disturbing phenomenon of facile and Elmer Gantry-style "gurus." I benefited much from your delineation of parody, satire, pastiche.
Yes, we must be vigilant about this bleak reality of almost blind adherence to people as fabricated personalities. Hollow men, making noise that can dazzle the unaware.
We certainly have gurus enough to cause us true concern--first of all, to be on our guard and second to help those we love and have connection to to see the perils.
Thanks for letting me know about Helen Lewis' podcast series.
Thanks Henry. I appreciate the argument and think you identify something important: how uncharitable so much of the discourse has become.
One thought: the contemporary enthusiasm for ‘gross exaggeration’: could that label, at least by his critics, be used to describe the satire of Swift himself?
No! Swift had a genius for metaphor and precision. Although some people say that in Bk IV of Gulliver's Travels he went from satirist to misanthrope. But gross exaggeration is not the right term. Swift has a moral and intellectual argument. His exaggerations (like the dog being pumped with air) are literary, not gross.
Henry, what a wonderful and truly sobering reflection on this disturbing phenomenon of facile and Elmer Gantry-style "gurus." I benefited much from your delineation of parody, satire, pastiche.
Yes, we must be vigilant about this bleak reality of almost blind adherence to people as fabricated personalities. Hollow men, making noise that can dazzle the unaware.
We certainly have gurus enough to cause us true concern--first of all, to be on our guard and second to help those we love and have connection to to see the perils.
Thanks for letting me know about Helen Lewis' podcast series.
Happy listening!
Thanks Henry. I appreciate the argument and think you identify something important: how uncharitable so much of the discourse has become.
One thought: the contemporary enthusiasm for ‘gross exaggeration’: could that label, at least by his critics, be used to describe the satire of Swift himself?
No! Swift had a genius for metaphor and precision. Although some people say that in Bk IV of Gulliver's Travels he went from satirist to misanthrope. But gross exaggeration is not the right term. Swift has a moral and intellectual argument. His exaggerations (like the dog being pumped with air) are literary, not gross.
We shouldn't worship anyone. Everyone is human, and no-one has all the answers.
But we *do* worship people. Not point wishing it away.