A matter about which we have often wondered is this - does the literary critic, beneath all the veils and circumlocutions, analyses and insights, create nothing but an ode to his jealousy? Is the critical essay in the end nothing more than a poem in praise of a greater artist - il miglior fabbro, to borrow from that consummate artist/critic, T. S. Eliot? Does the critic do nothing more than express, backhandedly, his awe? Is the language of the academy nothing more than the elaborate modest code-speak that allows the critic to express his true feelings in a world where such profound modesty would be unacceptably debasing?
We thought about this matter today in particular, because the segment of Jack's post entitled "The Great Fairy Road" is pitch-perfect. Not a word is misplaced. It's an interesting satire as well in that it points out the Anglophilia of the fantasy-adventure genre. American readers seem to prefer to believe that England is a magical wonderland full of Peter Pans and Harry Potters and bucolic lanes and cottages, and by and large reject the equally accurate impression that England is a war-ruined industrial wasteland, where a few stalwarts protect grand traditions that allowed such wars to be carried out, and her youth is more likely to be Johnny Morrisseys and Ray Davies than a fanciful wizard, and her sports fans are more interested in bashing the heads of the Frogs than watching some fucking crazy flying broom game.
Anyway - we got sidetracked. But to return, and summarize - the critic often finds himself in awe of the artist's gifts, indeed that might motivate his entire critical enterprise. And today, when in awe of Jack's exceptional prose, we felt that perhaps the Muses have blessed him more than us. But on the other hand, the world managed to stay in balance, in the following way:
People in our office were just giving away Pixies tickets. There were like 4 up for grabs. And to think, Jack would surely love to have gone! Nothing would have entertained him more! But he's not here, so we're taking Jones.
