Final Post

May 5, 2008 at 7:20 pm (Uncategorized)

I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and have learned more about myself than I expected to. Because I intend to make a living as a writer, I thought learning how to write as a critic could only help me. Thinking writing like a critic would be something easy to learn, I expected to read work from lots of different critics that would serve as an example of what and what not to do. The class was so much more than that, and I am glad.

I didn’t just learn how to write like a critic. I learned about who I was as a critic. By getting in touch with my pop culture prejudices, I was able to see why I have never been able to write criticly. You can’t criticize something you really know nothing about. All these years I have been building a big wall around myself, only bringing in media I thought was “good”. I’m not sure what made me think I knew what was good from my limited experiences, but my taste was the only one I trusted. Suggestions from friends were often rebuffed because I knew they secretly owned Britney Spears or were very fond of the never-ending songs of what I like to call “hippie twirl” music. So I stuck to my classic rock, branching out only into music my brother liked simply because I trusted him.

Experiencing the full range of tastes that were represented in our class this semester, I realized there was much more “good” stuff out there than I had given the world credit for. When Noel came to visit, I asked him what qualities made for a good critic. Besides just loving music, he said a good critic must listen to lots of music, good and bad.

Another thing I discovered about myself in this class is the deep shame I have for watching television. As I’ve said numerous times, it all stems from my raising. Television was bad all the way around. Then some of it was okay. Now I am free to do what I want, but I feel so guilty for spending as much time as I do watching tv. I am also embarassed that my favorites are the really ridiculous reality shows. But through this class I learned that there is nothing for me to be ashamed of. So what if I enjoyed “I Love New York 2” and made sure I was home in time to watch every single episode? Am I a better person for having watched it? Probably not. But can I now speak knowledgeably about the show and make intelligent (hehe) comparisons of similar shows? Heck yes!

As far as my aspirations to being a critic are concerned, I simply want to learn how to do it so it is in my writing arsenal. I feel that the people who actually make it out in the big, bad world as writers have diversified portfolios. Besides, I get bored easily. It will be a very long time before I am able to sit down and write a novel. I need little things to keep me busy writing. I don’t think I could be a critic for a living, but it is something I would like to do on the side. Through learning my limitations (outlined roughly above), I can see how much work I have to do in order to make my words as a critic viable in the industry. I’ve got a lot of music to listen to and movies/tv to watch.

As for our readings, my most favorite was Klosterman. He was so witty, never afraid to lay it all out there. It made the readings more personal, which I like, and I was more willing to listen to his opinion because I kind of knew who he was. I enjoyed his take on the world. It opened up more possibilities for criticism, showing me there’s more to it than short reviews. It made me feel better about my blog posts, which I often felt were too personal and not very critic-like.

The creative freedom we were allowed with the blogs was much appreciated. I am a lay-it-all-on-the-line kind of gal, usually opting to say too much. Nearly everything I wrote about I have intense feelings for (not counting the last “something new” post), and it was very hard to imagine trying to criticize that thing without involving my feelings for it. So I chose not to. The only time I actually saw myself come close to writing like a critic was with the PCO and COW. I really tried hard to switch gears and think like someone who was evaluating the media open-mindedly. It was hard, because I absolutely adore Cindy Woolf (my COW), and I had to write the PCO right after Noel had been for a visit. I thought he was great. It was hard to put that aside to evaulate his work from a different angle. But I was proud of my work on both pieces and felt I did a good job keeping my personal feelings out of it. At least I didn’t gush over my childhood experiences.

Over all, I loved this class, and I love what I learned in it. Everyone in the class was fantastic. The small number allowed me to get to know everyone on the most personal level I believe possible – through their taste in pop culture. I truly have opened my eyes to things I would have skipped over before. From this point forward, I will always give anything a listen. Or a read. Or a watch. At least once.

Thanks Donna! And everyone! Don’t be surprised if you hear from me some day. I have found that life has a way of bringing us all full circle. I fully expect for us to all cross paths again. I’ll be sure to say hello.