"_______________'s limitless curiosity will engage and enlighten readers..."
From one of multiple blurbs 'o praise from a recent nonfiction release.
What a funny statement--first of all, I will disregard the tedious and by now somewhat meaningless phrase, "engage and enlighten readers." Since this was penned by another published author, it still seems odd that he couldn't take the time to "engage and enlighten" us more than this!
The other phrase, "limitless curiosity" is, as we all know, "just a phrase." Also overused to the point of no meaning. On the other hand, if it is really meant as is, the implications are profound. First, it implies everlasting life as well as attributes that really could only describe a god or goddess. It implies a kind of omnipotence, yet also limitless ignorance as well. So it describes neither a human being nor the idea of God as the West generally defines the term. Pandora had limits--as the gods most quickly showed her! Her curiousity was abruptly curbed and it is hard to imagine how the rest of her life turned out (jes' kiddin'). What is really implied here is a type of paganism in which one cannot really tell much difference between gods and men. Which makes for great tales--all tall, too tall but not tall enough; esp. not to evince sustained sincere belief. Is this what we now call, "truthiness!"?
The art of blurbization is obviously far behind the state of the rest of the "bozarts" (see H.L. Mencken, a well established bigot yet could probably write better blurbs than these.)
I would suggest one postmodernist interpretation of such hypertonic solutions; blurbs represent a kind of circling of the wagons of those who make similar--however unjustified
--assumptions and also unknowingly produce similar self-contradictions and unthoughtful unhelpful mutual praise. It's about power and reinforcing whatever cultural hegemony such authors assume they have-- and sometimes really do have, along with their contributions of considerable talent and hard work. The blurbs are felt to help the sect, if you will; and to re-advertise the blurbers own books and boost what are probably by this time sagging sales.
The other tribes may object...with predictable and possibly internicine "unintended consequences"......
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As a former student of literary criticism, I have to admit this is rather the pinnacle of pointlessness in a statement. More hot air and scholarly fol de rol than you can imagine results whenever a critic wishes to be complementary, but doesn't really have much to say - and wishes to cover up that fact.
ReplyDeleteThere is, in reality, no socially redeeming value to mediocre literary criticism written for hire, which is often without true inspiration. Much of it is simply an exercise in solipsism - the mind of the critic without anything of substance to say produces a quagmire of cliches and semi-intelligible combinations of adjectives used to fill up space. Not worth reading most of the time.