The Art of Discussing Art
What makes a book good or bad?
Is it solely based on the readers opinion? Are there quantitative qualities a book can have or lack that make it better or worse than other books? How can literature be judged in this way when it is inherently an artform and therefore open to interpretation?
In college I took a class for my BFA that revolved around attending live theater twice a week in New York City. Every Tuesday and Thursday my classmates and I would crowd under a marquis on Broadway or outside a small blackbox theater in SoHo and get our tickets to that night’s entertainment. And every Friday afternoon we would pull our chairs to the center of our classroom, settle in, and discuss. Our professors made it clear this was not a class to weigh whether we “liked” or “didn’t like” a show, but rather a place to dive into the heart of a piece, strip back it’s layers, and consider how every element impacted and influenced it’s goal: to share a story with it’s audience. We debated the morals and questioned endings. We challenged each other’s takeaways, examined character arcs and the style of language. We considered how the design of the set, lights, costumes, sound all formed the world of the show. All this to say, We, a group of young theater artists, most of us at least 10 years into our theater careers, learned how to engage with theater in a truly meaningful way. We came to understand it wasn’t about whether a show was good or bad, or whether we liked it or didn’t; but about connecting with a piece in the fullest capacity and understanding on multiple levels how and why the show made us feel the way it did.
Ever since I took that class, three years ago now, I have wondered how I can best implement what I learned into my reading habits. How do I dissect the ins and outs of a story. How do I articulate why this book made me feel this way, but this book made me feel this way. What is a book even made of? In theater there are actors, writers, designers, directors, choreographers, managers, and on and on all working together to create the finished product we get to experience. In writing there is often a writer, an editor, and the reader. Through this blog I hope to hone my skills and allow myself to dig further into each book. At this moment it seems like an over complicated undertaking, but one I crave and feel I must passionately pursue in order to fully appreciate each and every book I read. Because an author deserves to have their creation appreciated and considered for what it is:
a work of art.
