Comments on: Watch the Skies! http://kargadan.chicago-sf.org/?p=29 a chicago-sf.org project Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:56:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: The_Lex http://kargadan.chicago-sf.org/?p=29#comment-95 The_Lex Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:48:18 +0000 http://kargadan.chicago-sf.org/?p=29#comment-95 This certainly makes for an interesting topic, especially when the wankery side of things makes an appearance. When art is a matter of taste (and should I even say beliefs, to a certain degree), can an award really have legitimacy? What makes any piece of art legitimate? Is art really just a craft, fitting into a supply and demand equation? Having read just the first chapter of Ian Watt's <a HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Novel-Studies-Richardson-Fielding/dp/0520230698/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4053437-9788147?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188319394&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow"><I>The Rise of the Novel. . .</I></A>, I can see legitimate arguments for and against awards and also for and against the current state of things for the system of this one award. Is it a piece of empty bubble gum being awarded or is it something that simply goes against someone's set of values being awarded? The one thing that irks me from what I've read, though, is the "confidentiality" factor given to judges. If the point of an award is to legitimate something by giving it recognition, wouldn't it be good to know why that something is legitimate? Not being so exposed to the "theory of awarding stuff," I really don't understand much other reason except for wankery and validating individuals for work, whether good or bad (which, I guess, would make it a form of mediocrity and/or "nepotism" -- can't think of a better word there). This certainly makes for an interesting topic, especially when the wankery side of things makes an appearance. When art is a matter of taste (and should I even say beliefs, to a certain degree), can an award really have legitimacy? What makes any piece of art legitimate? Is art really just a craft, fitting into a supply and demand equation?

Having read just the first chapter of Ian Watt’s The Rise of the Novel. . ., I can see legitimate arguments for and against awards and also for and against the current state of things for the system of this one award. Is it a piece of empty bubble gum being awarded or is it something that simply goes against someone’s set of values being awarded?

The one thing that irks me from what I’ve read, though, is the “confidentiality” factor given to judges. If the point of an award is to legitimate something by giving it recognition, wouldn’t it be good to know why that something is legitimate? Not being so exposed to the “theory of awarding stuff,” I really don’t understand much other reason except for wankery and validating individuals for work, whether good or bad (which, I guess, would make it a form of mediocrity and/or “nepotism” — can’t think of a better word there).

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