I think that only certain fields have narrowed and narrowed into specialists — and the ones that shouldn’t but have tried, like lit crit, are miserable –miserable writers, miserable readers, miserable students, miserable prose. One of my all-time detestations is an English prof/ art critic by the name of Mieke Ball (I think that’s it). She had what felt to me like brilliant insights but I had to wade through pages of horrifying jargon to get to them. I read at least one of her works all the way through - it never improved.

But McFawn, back in the olden days (was it 967?) my husband got a degree in creative writing in which one half of the degree was a critical paper and the other half were short stories. University of Wyoming. They’ve probably discarded such notions as dilitantism.

On the other hand, my experience with my writing friends is that they essentially think that eyes are to be used to keep from running into doors. And many of my art friends (all current company excepted, of course) can’t put an idea into a sentence that doesn’t make a sentient person weep. So more power to those writers who try to paint — at least they see that sight is worth more than mere convenience. What about (notable) artists who write (aside from ourselves, that is?)

It may be that as we live longer, we will all have many lives, and some of us will go from the literary to the artistic, becoming freshman again in our 60’s. But me, I’m at least a college junior (add that snort — my cheat sheet’s at home).

I think you’re right about the decline of the generalist and the accomplished dilettante. As for someone who can excel in multiple fields, I think that, outside of art, it’s just so much harder simply because those fields truly have advanced, and it’s extremely difficult to excel in even one field. In art, however you define excellence, it doesn’t seem to have changed essentially over time (if we can separate quality from stylistic movements). Which is a great strength for both artists and everyone. How many of us can appreciate (or even recognize by name) the accomplishments of Einstein already a century ago. Art is not necessarily easy, either, but it’s much more accessible from both sides.

Great line! And I, as a writer, can say that with authority!

You’ve met my site…it is the much less active “sister site” of Art and Perception…litandart.com.

You can do it yourself. The Plain Dealer music critic is regularly bashed for his treatment of the orchestra.

Have we met your site?

It would seem that you’re the rare bird who is also interested in ornithology.

Makes me think of research on the relationship between religious ecstacy and brain function. It’s hard for a buddy to have a good conversion experience these days without somebody wanting to talk about chemistry.

For instance, I’m a writer with an MFA in poetry. I am also interested in literary criticism. This itself is unusual; creative writing and literary criticism are wholly separate in graduate school and beyond. Literary criticism (and I think this is because of its separation from creative writing) has become jargon-filled, overly theoretical and, worst of all, does not encourage interest or pleasure in the very literature it describes. It is dominated by experts and written for experts, and anything that is locked in such a limited world loses functionality in the greater society.

When it comes to being creative there is no rule that says you should not try your hand at something. We all deserve the chance to create something really bad (or good).

As far as the critics go, there should be a higher level of critics with the task of of criticizing critics. Justice I think