Subcathoin

“At their best, social media democratize literature and demystify the writing process.” - Anne Trubek, New York Times.

There are (at least) two schools of thought in criticism and literature: One holds that a work should be viewed apart from its creator. The other holds that a deeper understanding of the creator is integral to understanding the work. 

While Trubek’s “Why Author’s Tweet” piece in the New York Times sort of side-steps the issue, the authors’ and readers’ take on that question does shape the reason one might think Tweeting is a good thing or a bad thing for writers, artists, game makers.

In the piece, which you really need to go read right this second, Trubek quotes author  Jeffrey Eugenides.

“It’s better, I think, for readers not to communicate too directly with an author because the author is, strangely enough, beside the point.”

One could say the same for game developers and the games they make. Do you care what Cliff Bleszinski has to say about his car, his fiance, his way of life? Or do you care just about the next Gears of War? Do you care that  Donald and Geremy Mustard work with Orson Scott Card (whose take on homosexuality angers some) on occasion to make their games? Or do you care just about whether Chair Entertainment’s Shadow Complex is getting a sequel.

Before, before Twitter and Facebook and MySpace, it was easier for an author or game maker to argue that they were, as Eugenides so eloquently put it, besidethe point. But when a creator opens the door to their audience and engages with them, do they give up that right?

I like to consume my entertainment twice, in two ways. Initially, and usually, I take the work as a thing created in a vacuum. I judge a book, a video game, music, movies, as a thing unto itself. Unless, until it engages me as something more than simple, mindless entertainment. Once intellectually stimulated, however, the deconstructionist in me is piqued and I find myself hunting for context, hidden meaning, semiotics.

How do you consume your entertainment? Do you think social media, like Twitter or Facebook, opens the door to more contextual analysis of artistic creations?