Initially, I had the fear that the author is a grumpy, especially since it showed itself struck by the fact that "booksellers webmatiques" a book called a "product" and to inform the buyer what other people who are interested it is also interested in one or another product (which I like, for my part, at Amazon, indeed, this sometimes bringing me new reading ideas) . And consequently, I feared that this could have been one of those who despise the concept of profit, yet consubstantial with any economic activity. This feeling is reinforced by a style whose proposals seemed relatively sharp and apparent lack of structuring ideas, no chapters or subtitle for considering a pause.
But this impression of the first pages quickly dissipated under the effect of the love of Renaud Camus for the right word and the right sense of the words; then, with a demonstration that becomes brilliant and subtle, when starts to talk, having highlighted the difficulty of clarifying the meaning of the word culture, given its different meanings, different conceptions of culture and then the notion of culture as a privilege to be abolished. But the privilege coating word several meanings, including intimate element of self-fulfillment, but also according to other "class privilege" and here lies the misunderstanding.
In the first case, we must ensure to abolish the privilege "as a privilege," in the sense to try to make it accessible to the greatest number of the register that is universal, while in the second case (supporters of the class struggle, you'll understand), the search for equality (also absent from the culture it is of nature, as the author says) leads to an alignment Bottom and ultimately the abolition of the culture itself.
The author uses very interesting metaphors that make relevant and exciting demonstration. It thus demonstrates that the culture of an educated class is undemocratic (and not anti-democratic), the concept of democracy there is simply irrelevant, contrary to what would tend to claim that the widespread idea it must "democratize culture" (mass culture), against which idea Renaud Camus disagrees, bringing many arguments and demonstrations.
One of the possible definitions of culture that eventually offers Renaud Camus is "clear preciousness of time" idea that "man has not grown enough time, he has never even enough for all that there is to read, to see, to hear, to know, to learn, to understand and love. "
That pleases me.
And our author deplored that authors and writers have been replaced in many cases by actors or performers, further expressing the prevailing sentiment, the majority mediatically moral sentiment or the "conscience" of our time than anything else; all in a collapse of the syntax and a systematic reversal of word order. And what about this school that put "children at the center of the system", the latter being most of the time supposed to discover for himself, encouraged to express themselves and be themselves, that Renaud Camus parody denominating the "self-mêmisme"? How could it be grown or "high" (in the sense of elevation), in a context where no one is able to "learn"?
Here's to some of the author's reflections in this little book I can not recommend you (or you summarize the entirety) and I hope not to have warped thinking.
I look forward to lead me now to other readings Renaud Camus, once the time (and my many other future readings) will allow.
