The term criticism has a bad reputation, so much so that high school teachers everywhere remind students about “constructive criticism” before any mutual evaluation occurs in the classroom. However, the phrase constructive criticism is, or should be, redundant. Criticism is not synonymous with insult, though it is unfortunately easy to conflate the two (especially in the vicious setting of public school). If criticism stops being constructive then it is no longer criticism. Though uncomfortable, criticism reveals potential, helping to further society’s progress as a result.
Cultural criticism takes on the vastness of art and literature created throughout society and tries to evaluate it. Though it may hurt to be criticized, it is necessary in regards to the notion that if everything is equally good, than nothing is. Tony Bennett offers his interpretation of the definition of “cultural criticism or cultural critique, in which works of culture serve as the occasion for the identification of the failings and shortcomings of society” (Bennett, 65). This may seem like a pessimistic take, but I think it is safe to say that this world is far from utopian. A more optimistic definition comes from Dwight Garner, who thinks cultural criticism “means talking about ideas, aesthetics and morality as if these things matter (and they do). It’s at base an act of love” (Garner, A Critic’s Case for Critics Who Are Actually Critical). On the surface these definitions seem very different; Bennett emphasizes a need to police society’s failures while Garner’s more warm and fuzzy definition describes appreciating cultural products. These perspectives are just two sides to the same coin, and they might be even more indistinguishable than that.
Artists create works in the context of society, even if they do not intend to; therefore, comparison to other works is unavoidable. Critique and comparison go hand in hand; if something is identified as good then there must be something bad that makes it good. Everything contains this relative nature, which cyclically creates a need for criticism. Bennett describes the process as an “identification,” which requires some sort of evaluation of a work. Once a work is observed, studied and analyzed, then it can be identified as part of the “failings and shortcomings of society” (Bennett, 65). Or not. Though people perceive critics to have a universal loathing, some of their qualifications of works are favorable. These complimentary moments most obviously align with Garner’s definition that cultural criticism is an “act of love,” though negative reviews can be just as, if not more, thoughtful than a raving one. Observing something closely and with intention (which is necessary for true criticism) validates a work of art. Any carefully constructed review proves that the piece under scrutiny matters and is worth the attention it gets. Furthermore, it is easier and safer to agree with and compliment someone or something than to challenge it. That’s not to say critics can’t like things, but critical reviews are necessary, particular now, to escape potentially masturbatory circles of thought where everyone is complimented and ideas go unchallenged.
The internet makes it very easy to voice opinions, and though critiques are opinions, they surpass surface-level internet posts in their depth, contemplation, and substance. It’s also easy to isolate oneself as a creator online, surrounded by people with similar tastes, and get stuck in a feedback loop of compliments. Compliments are useful for stamina and confidence, but artists cannot sustain themselves without critique because critique enables improvement. In this sense, criticism is truly an “act of love” as Garner describes. Critics scour work for meaning, therefore proving that the cultural product they evaluate really matters, which is the highest compliment a work of art can get.
Sources
Bennett, Tony. “Culture.” Ed. Meaghan Morris. New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Ed. Tony Bennett and Lawrence Grossberg. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 63-69. Print.
Garner, Dwight. “A Critic’s Case for Critics Who Are Actually Critical.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.
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670 Comments
I am particularly interested in your takes on “constructive criticism” and negative reviews. First, I didn’t know if I was totally convinced that constructive criticism is redundant. While I was initially drawn to this conclusion, I was left wondering—are there instances where negative criticism isn’t constructive? Then, however, when you spoke about how even a negative review can validate a piece of an artwork, I began to agree with your take on constructive criticism. Even negative reviews legitimize a work of art as something even worth talking about. Negative reviews can push conversations forward or at least add something new to the discussion.
Nice Comment on “Constructive Criticism” and Negative Reviews:
This is a thought-provoking exploration of “constructive criticism” and negative reviews! I appreciate the nuanced perspective you offer.
Initially questioning whether constructive criticism is redundant opens up an interesting discussion. While striving for constructive and actionable feedback is often ideal, acknowledging that some negative criticism might not explicitly offer solutions is valuable.
The point about negative reviews validating a work of art by fostering discussion is insightful. Even if critical, the review acknowledges the work’s existence and potentially sparks valuable conversations or new interpretations.
Overall, your analysis highlights the complexity of the topic. While constructive criticism strives to improve works and guide development, negative reviews can still play a role in legitimizing a work’s place within the discussion and potentially pushing creative boundaries forward.
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You are quite correct in noting that today’s self-congratulatory culture poses problems for both artists and audiences. I also think your characterization of criticism as a mechanism for improvement is quite thoughtful and open-minded.
However, I do not agree with the sentiment you end on. You write that “Critics scour work for meaning, therefore proving that the cultural product they evaluate really matters.” I find this far too optimistic a view. For better or worse there are works of art which are insipid, lazy and boring. I know that sounds really harsh and a bit unfair, but I genuinely believe this is the case.
For example, in middle school I went to see the The Last Airbender Movie with my aunt and younger cousin. The only redeeming quality of those agonizing 103 minutes was the fact that I liked the people I was with and it made a good joke a few years down the line. But I would have been livid had I spent my money on that movie. It sucked.
I guess the point is that sometimes works of art are really bad and the reason we need critics is to maintain some semblance of standards. By saying these things are dreadful and lack substantive value, critics preserve the authenticity of a genre or craft so that the actually quality work can receive the attention it deserves. Now, the aforementioned “quality work” may still get the attention it deserves in either case, but I think if we care about the general population’s engagement with the arts, we need critics who draw a line in the sand somewhere and just cull the stuff that is truly horrendous.
I agree with your point that the existence of negative feedbacks is in fact the pre-condition for positive ones, and especially the way it is put: “If everything is equally good, then nothing is.”
It occurs to me that the necessity of “negative feedbacks” might not lie in the fact that they are negative: If our culture assign negative feedbacks as carelessly as it does positive ones right now, the prospect of “criticism” does not become any less dim.
Instead, the necessity lies in “care.”
What makes criticism constructive is not whether it endorses or attacks, but in that (1) it puts effort into understanding what the original work is trying to say, (2) it makes careful assessment of such information and its communication, and/or (3) it points out possible improvements.
As we learned from “Slow Criticism,” although the time spent cannot be the sole criterion, it reflects the “care” that the critic gives to the work.
The vice of the positive (exchange) of reviews nowadays, then, is not its “positivity,” but its “carelessness.”
Anna,
Your essay itself elicited “constructive criticism” with a mix of approval and disagreement, so in a way it realized the argument of your piece, which I take to be crystallized most in your final paragraph: “though critiques are opinions, they surpass surface-level internet posts in their depth, contemplation, and substance.”
In fact, I wonder if you have “buried the lead” a bit here, as they say in journalism. What would your essay look like if you start with this sentence and then use your quotations to unpack it fully: the difference between opinion and criticism becomes the theme, and your sense of *how* we might evaluate the difference through other keywords, such as Bennett’s notion of “identification”; Garner’s of “love”; Anna’s bringing in the notion of “care” (which after all is the etymological origin of the term curator, which we are putting in a sort of conversation with critic in our course).
In my reading, this question of opinion compared to criticism is the important theme you have come upon in your essay and I would only propose that you could bring it to the top of the essay and use it even more directly as your focus in this important reflection on what it means to critique rather than opine.
Nice work here.
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Criticizing can certainly help, but best done in a way that doesn’t offend the person whose work/whatever is being critiqued.
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Actually, I’m wondering whether you haven’t “buried the lead,” as they say in the news business. Imagine starting with this line and using your quotes to thoroughly deconstruct it as the basis for your essay: You bring in phrases like Bennett’s “identification,” Garner’s “love,” and Anna’s “care,” and the distinction between opinion and criticism becomes the topic of the discussion (which after all is the etymological origin of the term curator, which we are putting in a sort of conversation with critic in our course).
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