I never liked it, but "beauty" as a topic was so forbidden in grad school in the 90s that it did give us some cover? If Elaine Scarry could talk about beauty, maybe the rest of us could? (God, it's bringing it all back, including how sick I was during those years). I found Dave Hickey's "Air Guitar", which came out about the same time, so much more compelling, but he's a very different sort of writer.
The reminder of just how verboten "beauty” was as a topic, which was a problem as I was writing a novel about a very dark event in a very beautiful place. Sigh. That Scarry put it right in the title was so exciting at the time, but the book itself was such a disappointment.
The natural cosmetics brand our family bought when I was a teenager was called "Beauty Without Cruelty," which seemed to me both inaccurate and un-sexy.
I never liked it, but "beauty" as a topic was so forbidden in grad school in the 90s that it did give us some cover? If Elaine Scarry could talk about beauty, maybe the rest of us could? (God, it's bringing it all back, including how sick I was during those years). I found Dave Hickey's "Air Guitar", which came out about the same time, so much more compelling, but he's a very different sort of writer.
I also love Dave Hickey—I should return to him. Thank you for reading this piece.
The reminder of just how verboten "beauty” was as a topic, which was a problem as I was writing a novel about a very dark event in a very beautiful place. Sigh. That Scarry put it right in the title was so exciting at the time, but the book itself was such a disappointment.
The natural cosmetics brand our family bought when I was a teenager was called "Beauty Without Cruelty," which seemed to me both inaccurate and un-sexy.