October 21, 2012

The Truth in Sublimity

Longimus discusses Sublimity and how it can be achieved, more specifically through text. "Sublimity is a kind of eminence or excellence of discourse." (pg. 347) Longimus states how this state of being in discourse can only be achieved when an author or a reader is being truthful and genuine with their emotions. Does exaggerating emotions in a text really place distrust between the author and the reader? “Turgidity is a particularly hard fault to avoid, for it is one to which all who aim at greatness naturally incline, because they seek to escape the charge of weakness and aridity.” (Pg.348)  I'm not too sure how to feel about this. Which makes me think, maybe Longimus has a point. He dramatizes this whole concept of sublimity ( he uses words like tragedy, lapse of dignity, etc) and because of this, it makes me doubt the legitimacy of the author (Longimus)

It is true, that drama queens and people who lie are never to be taken seriously. We like to hear others being authentic. This includes the texts we are reading. When I have a novel in my hand, and the writing is true and real, it captivates me. This occurs because novels that have a clear and honest voice are very difficult to find today. So this encounter such a text, it does bring joy. Not all text has to sound the same. Longimus does say that some texts need different voices to achieve sublimity. Genre's each contain a different language, so sublimity has to be achieved in different ways for each genre.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think this is definitely a matter of opinion which I wish Longinus had discussed. Some people may be able to view sublimity as a dramatic effect while others may be able to view it more subtly. I thought it was interesting comparing this text to McClouds because McCloud references symbols that are universal which makes me wonder if there are standards of sublime that the world knows about. This makes me wonder who decided these standards and what they are exactly. Longinus makes a point to have us understand that a reader and critic must be able to identify sublime but he doesn't say how one would be trained in that.

Unknown said...

I do agree on what Shawn said. I think that I would like to see a bit of explanation on Longinus's part on how sublimity is taught. That is a very opinionated statement, and it could use some back up. I have heard a lot of people say that it is like singing, you can either sing or you cant. You are born with the gift or you are not. as for what Longinus was saying about emotions...I think he was saying that a certain amount of emotion and the right kind of emotion is ok, but only if used appropriately and not exaggerated to a point where it is too much.

I agree that we like to hear people that are authentic, but I do not think that just because someone lies or can be a drama queen that they should never be trusted, I think you just have to have an open mind and always keep in consideration that they may not be the "MOST" trustworthy.

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