aaron wrote:i do not think there is anything timeless, natural, or genuine about the "authenticity" you hear on an AC/DC record, but that it is a social construction tied to a particular set of historical, cultural, and economic circumstances, along the lines of what has been called "blackness" (soul), "jewishness" (melancholy), masculinity/femininity, etc. it is a relatively recent invention.
i do not think authorial intentions count for much--perhaps they are on par with the purchase price--and i believe that our response to a work of art is always going to tell us (and others) more about ourselves than the work itself.
I agree with aaron that everyone’s tastes are always already embedded in a field of cultural, economic, and social forces and that they are in no broad or ontological sense timeless or natural; they are, in fact, historical. I further believe that these forces -- things crucially in some manner of flux and struggle -- are largely responsible not just for our understanding but also (connectedly) for our feelings of what’s natural and authentic and genuine and awesome. I think this is a simple but essential thing to recognize and one that too few people really appreciate despite how de rigueur “anti-essentialismâ€
