Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Ain't This America What is distinctive about American art and letters

But...marching bands aren't distinctly American in origin - even if a large part of their time is spent on football fields.

I won't say I hate marching bands; I'll just say I'm not fond of brass.

I love this thread. Once everyone got on board with the topic, "what's distinctive about American arts and letters", it really took off. Thanks numan!

"What is distinctive about American art and letters"

I have a theory... but it takes a little explaining.

I was visiting Europe with my wife (who is from Europe). We were having a lovely time... sitting on a park bench overlooking a river. My wife was a little tired, and I encouraged her to stretch out on the bench with her head on my lap.

Later on, my wife told me how difficult this was for her to do. People in Europe do not stretch out on park benches... it is NOT DONE.

So my theory is that the "old culture" has a lot of rules that people have absorbed into their being. And, I think that America is a place that is more free to try different things... outside the rules. IMO this is why an improvisational art form called Jazz evolved in the USA.

In letters, consider the example of Mark Twain. I think he was pretty much the first author to successfully incorporate the vernacular of common people into literature.

Of course now there are improvisational artists also in Europe... but I think this was a distinctive gift of American arts and letters. And, yes, I know there are down sides also... there is a lot of improvisational crxp as well.

he is certainly credited here and it seems to make the more squeamish, erudite types uptight. mark twain equalized literature. he was, is, and always will be, the quintessential american. and that is a compliment.

depends on age really, cant see too many 50 year olds doing this, 15-20 year olds would be another matter entirely!

Me, too! I've just e-mailed my friend Tessa to borrow any Clifton Chenier CDs.

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I really wish people would not use acronyms. I have no idea what "IPA" is supposed to mean. The only thing that it suggests to me is the "International Phonetic Alphabet."

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"IPA" stands for India Pale Ale, which is a style of ale known for its distinct "hoppiness." It's certainly my favorite.

Well, I like the work of Bob Dylan, too. On a good day, when I am feeling particularly sunny, I will entertain the proposition that it lies at least upon the fringes of Great Art. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is my especial favorite.

I do not like Bob Dylan the man. I think that his style and attitudes, in general, have a depressing and negative effect on the people who listen to him. He is usually morose, whiny, full of put-downs, often nasty, and sometimes even trivial [Typically American, now that I come to think of it]. I usually do not care much for his later work; I fear that when he suffered that terrible motorcycle accident, something magical departed from his psyche. (Great artists should never expose themselves to danger; the loss to the world is too great if they are injured)

Now I would never for a moment suggest that we should judge the work of an artist by his or her character as a person, but their character may stand as a barrier to the higher realms of art and culture. Judging by most of what Dylan produced, we would never know that such things as the Good, the True, the Harmonious, and the Beautiful even existed.

In the end, Allen Ginsberg is a greater poet than Bob Dylan. He plumbed the depths and heights of human experience far more than the usually superficial Dylan; the Good and the Beautiful were ever at the forefront of his concerns and its guiding star. HIs short poem in Howl on a flower blooming amid the dust and ashes of a railway freight yard is a classic of enlightened conscousness. The poem Howl itself is Great Art, and, incidentally, one the the most objective views of the America of his time --- or of present day America, for that matter.

chuck, nu-man is above that sort of thing. american micro brewery is too, well, american.