Tuesday, June 26, 2007

while I'm doing quotes...

Here's one that I found on the Cold War Kids website, from an essay (which I have not read) by David Foster Wallace.

The next real literary ‘rebels’ in this country might well emerge as some weird bunch of anti-rebels, born oglers who dare somehow to back away from ironic watching, who have the childish gall actually to endorse and instantiate single-entendre principles. Who treat of plain old untrendy human troubles and emotions in U.S. life with reverence and conviction. Who eschew self-consciousness and hip fatigue. These anti-rebels would be outdated, of course, before they even started. Dead on the page. Too sincere. Clearly repressed. Backward, quaint, naive, anachronistic. Maybe that’ll be the point. Maybe that’s why they’ll be the next real rebels. Real rebels, as far as I can see, risk disapproval. The old postmodern insurgents risked the gasp and squeal:shock disgust, outrage, censorship, accusations of socialism, anarchism, nihilism. Today’s risks are different. The new rebels might be artists willing to risk the yawn, rolled eyes, the cool smile, the nudged ribs, the parody of gifted ironists, the ‘Oh how banal.’ To risk accusations of sentimentality, melodrama. Of overcredulity. Of softness. Of willingness to be suckered by a world of lurkers and starers who fear gaze and ridicule above imprisonment without law.

3 comments:

ButterPeanut said...

i like that.

i look forward to the day when irony stops being the highest good.

Mary said...

Hey Trent,
The DFW essay is fantastic in its entirety--well worth a read. Funny tht you mentioned the Cold War Kids--I have not heard of them but a guy here at L'abri with me is good friends with one of them and elling me about them.

Anonymous said...

Mary - I will have to check out the whole essay...
I only know about the CWK 'cause my younger brother hangs out with them/occasionally opens for them...