On Jan 24, 2009, at 9:13 AM, Chris Miller wrote:
Has anyone else noticed that, so far, the only way that listers have
identified sentimentality is by social placement ?
If something is made for popular consumption, it's sentimental ---
if it's
made for the cultural elite, it's "merging the self to objectivity"
You apparently didn't read what I wrote. Or if so, not carefully.
I said that the term "sentimental" is often used to denote "excessive"
and "self-indulgent" feelings (because the dictionary records those
uses, i.e., gives those as definitions).
I also said that sentimental reactions to artworks, based on the
feelings for the represented subject, indicate the viewer's response
to the referent, not so much to the work itself.
You use the terms "social placement" and "social status" synonymously,
and you contrast "popular" with "elite." I did not point to any social
or class distinction of the viewers who felt "sentimental" toward a
picture, but rather to their ability to distinguish between the
subject matter and the work itself.
Let's not forget that "popular" is not always good, and "elite" (which
is set in opposition to "popular") is not always bad.
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Michael Brady
[email protected]
