Comments on: relatability http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/ the internet literature magazine blog of the future Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tim Horvath http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-26512 Tim Horvath Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:13:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-26512 How about a relationship with a book being like a relationship with a significant other...i.e. we are drawn to a certain balance of identity and otherness, often in dynamic proportion rather than steady-state. The book draws us in, we make demands on it, it makes demands on us. We make compromises and at times are amply rewarded when our expectations are exceeded. And yes, your brain map/chemistry is altered, as it is profoundly in new lovers, and differently still in long-term relationships, that book you reread over the years. How about a relationship with a book being like a relationship with a significant other…i.e. we are drawn to a certain balance of identity and otherness, often in dynamic proportion rather than steady-state. The book draws us in, we make demands on it, it makes demands on us. We make compromises and at times are amply rewarded when our expectations are exceeded. And yes, your brain map/chemistry is altered, as it is profoundly in new lovers, and differently still in long-term relationships, that book you reread over the years.

]]> By: Tim Horvath http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-115981 Tim Horvath Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:13:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-115981 How about a relationship with a book being like a relationship with a significant other...i.e. we are drawn to a certain balance of identity and otherness, often in dynamic proportion rather than steady-state. The book draws us in, we make demands on it, it makes demands on us. We make compromises and at times are amply rewarded when our expectations are exceeded. And yes, your brain map/chemistry is altered, as it is profoundly in new lovers, and differently still in long-term relationships, that book you reread over the years. How about a relationship with a book being like a relationship with a significant other…i.e. we are drawn to a certain balance of identity and otherness, often in dynamic proportion rather than steady-state. The book draws us in, we make demands on it, it makes demands on us. We make compromises and at times are amply rewarded when our expectations are exceeded. And yes, your brain map/chemistry is altered, as it is profoundly in new lovers, and differently still in long-term relationships, that book you reread over the years.

]]> By: Roberta http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-26500 Roberta Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:11:56 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-26500 okay, i get the points you're making. that particular point of view you mention (of coming into writing. or art of whatever sort, for that matter) and needing to find one's self within it? i think honestly there's such a narrowness/self-centeredness about that that it's going to preclude being open to much diversity of writing anyway. interesting because the problem you mentioned with any idea of there needing to be a 'universal' quality to a given piece of writing? would again dictate that kind of narrowness. each way would place limits on upon either a given reading, or the writing of a text. so. yeah. i guess 'empathy' within reading has its limits. but i also suspect a lot of this comes down to the interpretation of 'empathy.' okay, i get the points you’re making.

that particular point of view you mention (of coming into writing. or art of whatever sort, for that matter) and needing to find one’s self within it? i think honestly there’s such a narrowness/self-centeredness about that that it’s going to preclude being open to much diversity of writing anyway.

interesting because the problem you mentioned with any idea of there needing to be a ‘universal’ quality to a given piece of writing? would again dictate that kind of narrowness.
each way would place limits on upon either a given reading, or the writing of a text.

so. yeah. i guess ‘empathy’ within reading has its limits.
but i also suspect a lot of this comes down to the interpretation of ‘empathy.’

]]> By: Roberta http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-115980 Roberta Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:11:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-115980 okay, i get the points you're making. that particular point of view you mention (of coming into writing. or art of whatever sort, for that matter) and needing to find one's self within it? i think honestly there's such a narrowness/self-centeredness about that that it's going to preclude being open to much diversity of writing anyway. interesting because the problem you mentioned with any idea of there needing to be a 'universal' quality to a given piece of writing? would again dictate that kind of narrowness. each way would place limits on upon either a given reading, or the writing of a text. so. yeah. i guess 'empathy' within reading has its limits. but i also suspect a lot of this comes down to the interpretation of 'empathy.' okay, i get the points you’re making.

that particular point of view you mention (of coming into writing. or art of whatever sort, for that matter) and needing to find one’s self within it? i think honestly there’s such a narrowness/self-centeredness about that that it’s going to preclude being open to much diversity of writing anyway.

interesting because the problem you mentioned with any idea of there needing to be a ‘universal’ quality to a given piece of writing? would again dictate that kind of narrowness.
each way would place limits on upon either a given reading, or the writing of a text.

so. yeah. i guess ‘empathy’ within reading has its limits.
but i also suspect a lot of this comes down to the interpretation of ‘empathy.’

]]> By: Matt Cozart http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-26497 Matt Cozart Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:10:36 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-26497 I understand "empathy" to mean understanding and being sensitive to someone else's point of view or experiences. The opposite of selfishness, yeah? I understand “empathy” to mean understanding and being sensitive to someone else’s point of view or experiences. The opposite of selfishness, yeah?

]]> By: Matt Cozart http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-115979 Matt Cozart Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:10:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-115979 I understand "empathy" to mean understanding and being sensitive to someone else's point of view or experiences. The opposite of selfishness, yeah? I understand “empathy” to mean understanding and being sensitive to someone else’s point of view or experiences. The opposite of selfishness, yeah?

]]> By: mike http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-26492 mike Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:56:37 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-26492 okay, let's try this again (i come to a point through dialogue... that's how i work). by "empathy," i mean a sort of selfish sense of reading where one is intentionally looking for a way to make the story "about" his or herself, which I feel closes out the reading from actually "revealing" the other okay, let’s try this again (i come to a point through dialogue… that’s how i work).

by “empathy,” i mean a sort of selfish sense of reading where one is intentionally looking for a way to make the story “about” his or herself, which I feel closes out the reading from actually “revealing” the other

]]> By: mike http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-115978 mike Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:56:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-115978 okay, let's try this again (i come to a point through dialogue... that's how i work). by "empathy," i mean a sort of selfish sense of reading where one is intentionally looking for a way to make the story "about" his or herself, which I feel closes out the reading from actually "revealing" the other okay, let’s try this again (i come to a point through dialogue… that’s how i work).

by “empathy,” i mean a sort of selfish sense of reading where one is intentionally looking for a way to make the story “about” his or herself, which I feel closes out the reading from actually “revealing” the other

]]> By: mike http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-26484 mike Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:11:20 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-26484 oh i certainly don't think art is meaningless. i value it more than probably anything else <i>ever</i>. i don't understand placing an equal sign between relatable and interesting, or relatable and valuable. i am understanding "relatability" as "empathy," and that is where all of my points are coming from. i certainly don't feel "empathetic" to language or forms, but i certainly enjoy and value them. and being "against empathy" is just my classical anti-bourgeois notion of not insisting on finding the "self" in a work of art (maybe this is more of an art-historical notion, who knows). oh i certainly don’t think art is meaningless. i value it more than probably anything else ever. i don’t understand placing an equal sign between relatable and interesting, or relatable and valuable. i am understanding “relatability” as “empathy,” and that is where all of my points are coming from. i certainly don’t feel “empathetic” to language or forms, but i certainly enjoy and value them. and being “against empathy” is just my classical anti-bourgeois notion of not insisting on finding the “self” in a work of art (maybe this is more of an art-historical notion, who knows).

]]> By: mike http://htmlgiant.com/behind-the-scenes/relatability/comment-page-1/#comment-115977 mike Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:11:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=14932#comment-115977 oh i certainly don't think art is meaningless. i value it more than probably anything else <i>ever</i>. i don't understand placing an equal sign between relatable and interesting, or relatable and valuable. i am understanding "relatability" as "empathy," and that is where all of my points are coming from. i certainly don't feel "empathetic" to language or forms, but i certainly enjoy and value them. and being "against empathy" is just my classical anti-bourgeois notion of not insisting on finding the "self" in a work of art (maybe this is more of an art-historical notion, who knows). oh i certainly don’t think art is meaningless. i value it more than probably anything else ever. i don’t understand placing an equal sign between relatable and interesting, or relatable and valuable. i am understanding “relatability” as “empathy,” and that is where all of my points are coming from. i certainly don’t feel “empathetic” to language or forms, but i certainly enjoy and value them. and being “against empathy” is just my classical anti-bourgeois notion of not insisting on finding the “self” in a work of art (maybe this is more of an art-historical notion, who knows).

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