"Perhaps -- it's finally time to retire "sentimentality" as a critical term -- inherited from the now-dying ideology of Modernism."
If we take sentimentality as a special mature emotional attachment to the experienced event for some individual reasons, I see it as a healthy tool for a psychological adaptation. What do you mean by 'Modernism' and why it is dying? Boris Shoshensky -- "Chris Miller" <[email protected]> wrote: So.... has any progress been made to "carefully and precisely describe what you refer to as "sentimentality." " ? Has anyone yet named "a certain cluster or nexus of feelings as "sentimentality,"" I don't think so (though it's not so much a problem for me -- since I don't use the word very much) All we've got, so far, is "the self pity part" -- which William says is "not good because it separates me from reality, not for creative purposes being better able to cope with reality -- but only for the sake of encasing me in self-pity masked as longing." But why can't we consider that as a kind of self-healing -- like licking your own wounds ? Can pity ever occur without self-pity ? --- and isn't it the job of good tragedy to provoke such a feeling ? (at least, according to Aristotle) I guess this is why I've got no problem with paintings of the Lamentation, or the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, or "The Sound of Music" or the paintings of Andrew Wyeth -- at least regarding sentimentality (and BTW -- regarding Wyeth -- I've just been looking at some images online -- and other than than famous image of the crazy girl crawling on the grass -- I don't see how his landscapes or interior views are any more sentimental than those painted by Van Gogh, Cezanne, or anyone else. ) Perhaps -- it's finally time to retire "sentimentality" as a critical term -- inherited from the now-dying ideology of Modernism. ____________________________________________________________ Get everything you need to hook up your own wireless network by clicking now! http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/PnY6rc2XTwQSftWXdxchJy2faesNRu jSTBTaodXwYcE9PKfaPfOwU/
