Word: ideas
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...ease at the head of the Cabot Room’s oval table, a tan, tweed-clad Florida State professor delved into the religious and cultural roots of Enlightenment conceptions of “genius.” But throughout the presentation, the unspoken question hovered: Does the idea of genius still exist today...
...Learning from mistakes, attempting to repeat one’s successes: Those sound more like accessible middle-class values than like the innate inspiration or providential favor once attributed to exceptional persons. Indeed, as much as Americans treasure the idea of genius—“Baby Genius” and “Baby Einstein” CD lines offer ambitious mothers-to-be the chance to transform their prenatals into intellectuals—we shy away from the suggestion of any hidden Mozarts in our midst...
...Still, that doesn’t mean we should return to the days of divine right. There’s a way to conserve the idea of genius without succumbing to elitism. Rather than maintain the illusion that with due diligence anyone can be a superstar, we should argue that any of us could be the one harboring that hidden genius potential. Who knows who might be considered a genius retrospectively? Probably not the grind with the flashcards...
...rate, as writers over the centuries have realized, “genius” is ultimately a great consolation in itself. Just as the notion of a religious god continues to haunt much secular Western literature and art, the idea of genius—no matter how bankrupt—continues to make itself felt in the modern creative process. It reassures us that not everyone is destined to be merely a bit player, a secondary source, a “Fink-type.” Julia Kristeva put it best: genius is a “therapeutic invention that...
...costume as clothing isn’t just a great idea for a special exhibition at The Met (I hope you’re reading this, Anna), is also the hottest trend for this year. As determined by me. Because I can’t be the only one on this campus dressing like Heidi Klum just told me “auf Wiedersehen.” On your next trip to Oona’s—mine are weekly—think about your future party pics in a boring lecture hall, not a sweaty dining hall...