I once read somebody who called Elie Wiesel “a professional whiner.” I remember thinking, “Wow, that is a disproportionate response.” Or at least, “Man, that’s not fair.” All my life, I have relied on people with more insight, skill, and wisdom than I have to help me maneuver my way through this confusing, over-informed, unprincipled […]
Only the Lover Sings, But Even the Critic Can Love Read More »
While Cicero’s Rhetorica ad Herennium commends a six-part structure for an argument, there is an elegance to the way each part gives way to the next which is worthy of imitation in non-argumentative essays, as well. In the last two years, I’ve written nearly a hundred film reviews for FilmFisher and found that I often
A Template For Reviewing Everything From Books To French Restaurants Read More »
I find myself thinking that criticism, when it is justified at all, still arises from impatience. Or mabye it is better to say that a critical spirit, justified or not, arises from impatience. We are critical when we assume the position of the judge. Now, I don’t play the modern game of abdication, pretending that
