ONE THING I learned during the period of my life I spent teaching in high schools is the educational system weeds out the rebels. Often, the most creative, nonconformist members of a class are the delinquents. Usually the leader of the delinquents.

(This was the case in 1960s to 80s England. See this book):

At every stage, more individuals are filtered out as the most obedient climb the institutional ladder: those raising their hands at the front of the class– not bored sleepers at the back.

THE INSTILLED ATTITUDE becomes that of any bureaucracy: “Go along to get along.” The canon of approved literary models becomes unquestioned– even if those models were daring choices at the time they originally were celebrated and canonically included. (Can’t dare anything today!)

Which led to the creation of the god of gods in the literary realm: High Modernism.

Never mind that most of the High Modernist canonical novels connect with few people and are in fact not very good. (Gregor Samsa waking up as a giant insect? Okay, we get the point. We’re hit over the head with it. Now do we still have to read the entire story?)

Aesthetic satisfaction: nil.

c/o pandoraoutletofficialstore

WHY do approved literary intellectuals (see photo) celebrate– nay, require– vagueness and “difficulty” (a favorite term)? The reason is obvious when you think about it. They’ve climbed to high station after an intensive weeding-out process. Understanding difficult, poorly-constructed novels is part of the process. They’re like government bureaucrats pushed upward according to how well they understand obscure regulations– the more obscure, the better. They need to be few. Justifies their position. “Literature” isn’t for everybody! Not just anybody can appreciate those High Modernist guys.

-KW