Great Works \’09

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Here we are, our wonderfully insightful English class is drawing to a close. As I sit here at 2 in the morning lamenting my inability to properly put into the words the ideas floating around in my head — OH ESSAY, HOW YOU TORTURE ME SO — I started thinking again about what the use of all this literature is. Of course, half of this contemplation may have been sparked because I went back through posts in the blog… But as I thought about the connection between literature and other forms of art (i.e. the visual or performing arts), I remembered an interesting article that I read a long time ago. I’m surprised that the connection didn’t strike me until now. If you’ve never read the article, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING IT:

“Pearls Before Breakfast”. The Washington Post. April 8, 2007

This article basically talks about an experiment that was conducted, in which Joshua Bell (a hugely famous and extremely talented concert violinist) played his violin in a Washington train station during the early morning rush hour. The experiment was to see how many people would recognize artistic genius and take time out to stop what they are doing and appreciate it. Imagine that: Joshua Bell in a train station, playing Bach’s “Chaconne” on his $3.5 million Stradivari violin. How many people do you think would stop to see such an amazing sight??

VERY FEW, actually: “In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run — for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.”

SEVEN people stopped. Isn’t that amazing? This violinist, who can sell out $100 concert tickets like water, got $32 and an audience of 7.

Now given that it was rush hour, you can’t help (as a busy New Yorker, if nothing else) but sympathize– even if only a little– with the commuters. We’re all so busy, and especially around rush hours? Not a good time for appreciating the arts. But this is the crux of the experiment — we’re all so busy with living and going about our daily lives, how many of us REALLY stop and appreciate something artistic and beautiful?

Although this experiment highlights the point most dramatically for me, I think this very same idea can be applied to literature. We’re all so busy with living that many of us don’t see the point — or at least, don’t have the time and luxury — to stop, pause, and appreciate art. Maybe some of us don’t even care. And I think it’s a huge shame that this ability to appreciate is disappearing.