Arts Hoity Toity Critics and Upstart Bloggers
There’s an intriguing, if not always illuminating, conversation going on at ArtsJournal about arts criticism in the age of arts blogs. Of interest to Seattle readers: the Seattle Times’ own Misha Berson weighs in here with a fine bit of sardonic hyperbole entitled “Is Blogging the Panacea?”
To be fair to Misha, some of the bloggers are getting a bit manifest-y in their enthusiasm. But not Maud Newton. I love Maud Newton.
Here’s Misha:
In mentoring younger critics, I’ve been surprised how many downplay fact-checking. Or don’t realize that ad hominum attacks on artists (or gushing, unsubstantiated praise for them) can not only be hurtful, but runious.
I’ve never taken one of Misha’s seminars (though Brendan Kiley has), but I’m frankly skeptical that her students routinely “downplay fact-checking.” As for “ad hominum attacks”? I am surprised by how many Misha Bersons downplay fact-checking! Ad hominem is not spelled with a “u”! Misha, I believe, construes “ad hominem attacks” very broadly—to include clear-eyed criticism of a famous actor’s performance, for example.
Yeep. I still remember Skerritt's "Wait, it'll come to me," performance. Someone in the cast told me the "naturalism" of his line reading was perhaps due to him being last off-book.
Also, "runious" is, to my knowledge, not a word either.