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.