Preteniousness: Why it Matters by Dan Fox
At the risk of looking foolish (not a big risk since I glory in the foolish), let me tell you the thoughts I spun at reading the title and subtitle of this book.
Pretentiousness: Why it Matters. Ooh, that sounds interesting. Depending on who I'm with, sometimes people think I'm pretentious because of some of the things I like. Often people are accused of being pretentious because they like things like the theater, art or other things not everyone understands or even enjoys. But those things are important! Without art, we wouldn't have beautiful things that many people enjoy, like sculptures, a lovely landscape in a lobby, or a glimpse into another culture. Without live theater, nobody would learn how to be or think like someone else and learn empathy. I mean, without doing something that someone finds pretentious, nothing would ever be changed! Of course it matters, I can't wait to read this book.
So. Now we come to the actual reading of the book.
It starts off with the equation that acting = pretension and goes with that premise; not necessarily taking an in-depth look. Moves into some other points. Totally lambastes the fashion industry and then finally starts making sense when getting into art criticism, his field. (Interesting to note that he never mentions the possible narcissistic aspect of fashion, just it's ephemeral quality). The odd thing is, the end notes are so long it's confusing why they weren't incorporated into the text. Since the focus is on how the author came into his career and his background it has a LOT to do with why he's writing about pretentiousness he could have disposed with the mock dissertation style and made it more personal and accessible with the same amount of scholarly knowledge and authority.
Overall, I came away with some interesting thoughts about this view but disappointed in the presentation.
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