an essay I shall probably regret having made public

I posted this some time back for commentary among friends but after an overwhelming silence I have decided to put it up for assault by all and sundry. It follows as a logical successor to my piece on burnaway.org: http://burnaway.org/2010/01/how-to-write-art-criticism-in-2010/

I thought I had better make it public because since it was written, some columnists have begun to reflect on my implicit questions: for example, the column in the January 18 New York Times regarding the demise of the original social functions of the late-night talk show (which is a function of shifts in perception and consciousness): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/business/media/18carr.html?scp=3&sq=Tonight%20Show&st=cse

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