Critic Costume (#1230)

(an instance of Generic Costume made by Marcus)

     A literary critic costume. Dress up as your favorite academic.

Go to location of this object, Marcus.

After a moment, something begins to happen...
     The role of the Critic may not be to evaluate or judge.
     Originally 'Critic' might have been 'Accuser'.
     Critic accused in the law courts or declaimed in the market square.
     Accuser (Satan) argues through a phase of human development.
     Blake has written of this in The_Marriage_of_Heaven_and_Hell.
     (Cf. Blake on contraries, etc.)
     The tyranny of contraries, of either/or, is an expression of the predominance of the sense of abstracted vision.
     What Blake foresees is their Marriage as the visual sense breaks out into seeing the what is.
     As happens for a True Poet, or for all at such times as new forms and ratios of senses develop.
     This is treated in McLuhan as in other fascinating synthetics.
     But before the stage of culture in which dialectic predominates, Critic is Servant of Trickster/Hermes:
     Critic's play is to help the different sides talk.
     Critic brings the kings to know the artists; offers ritual service to the priestesses.
     Telling and showing, interpreting, heralding, valuing.
     Critic favors the give and take of speaking and listening.
     And Critic favors silent trade.
     As a crosser of boundaries the Critic is akin to the shaman, finding reconciliations in the tribe.