Unstoppable Imitation

Writing has existed for a really long time already- since "around 3,200 BC" (7) to be exact. So then, if we have incessantly made new, innovative items we must be really creative, since it would be almost 5,000 years of new, original ideas. But this is not the case. As is clearly stated in the book, we simply copy off what others have said before us, and probably won't stop anytime soon.

First of all, the title of "b" is "mimesis," which means "The imitation or representation of aspects of the sensible world, especially human actions, in literature and art." So just off from there the audience is able to infer what the author, David Shields, believes. He makes a kind of overview of the history of writing, this way showing that everything - from novels to speeches - have been there for quite a while.

However, out of everything he says, there was one phrase I couldn't get out of my head: "There's nothing to say that hasn't been said before." (10) This was said by Terence "in the second century b.c." (10) Terence was a playwright in the Roman Republic. When he was twenty-five years old, he disappeared  Yet, he was able to leave this wise quote behind at such an early age.

So it is true, if 5,000 years ago there was nothing new to be said, then today, after so many people have repeated the same things over and over again through milleniums, nothing is new either. Yes, there's new items (computers, cellphones, cars, etc.), but is it really likely that something you say regarding any of these has never been said before? Yeah, not really.

We are innately a culture of imitation. It is how we learn during childhood and what society expects of us during adolescence and adulthood. Babies learn to stand, walk, and talk purely by imitation. And later on, the simplest things we do (dressing, how we eat, how we decorate our homes, communicating) are also acts of imitation. What if the people around you painted their faces green everyday and wore their shoes backward? Would you stop this foolishness and leave your face unmarked and your shoes on the right way? Of course not. It's what you see as natural and normal, so you would imitate it. So, if we copy simple actions before we even turn one year old, isn't it evident that our works (literary, musical, artistic) will all be product of imitation as well?

1909 vs. 2010

I began reading "The Futurist Manifesto,"by F.T. Marinetti, and to be honest, I initially understood next to nothing. I foolishly continued reading, hoping that maybe I could understand a sentence and then everything would be clear. But it wasn't. Yet, once I finished reading this manifesto, I didn't stop there; I began another one, Reality Hunger (by David Shields), seeking sudden enlightenment on what the authors were saying. But of course, I wasn't suddenly enlightened. And then I realized that I didn't even know very well what a manifesto is. Sure, I've heard of some historical ones, like "The Communist Manifesto," but that's all. I knew barely anything else.

I might as well start there, then. A manifesto, as Dictionary.com defines it, is "a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, asone issued by a government, sovereign, or organization." I guess this definition was my "sudden enlightenment" because suddenly things began making sense. In both of these documents, it was clear that the authors had a proposal. F.T. Marinetti dedicates his "to all living men on earth," and then carries on to list his proposals. Overall, if I understood correctly, he wants the public to embrace the future and the new technology that comes along with it. 

Shields, on the other hand, has a different purpose. As he explains it, his "intent is to write ars poetica for the burgeoning group of interrelated (but unconnected) artists in a multitude of forms and media...who are breaking larger and larger chunks of "reality" into their work." (3) Instead of changing society, he wishes to change the arts, thus having a much narrower audience. It was unclear to me exactly what it is that he wants to do with the arts, but I'm sure it will become evident as I continue reading.