Painful in a good way

Baldwin’s writing contains a characteristic that I describe as “emotionally devastating.” Typically, I reserve this term for films and music, but clearly literature, like any work of art, can carry the same emotional weight of any other medium, if not more. Despite the ominous wording, it’s a good thing! The films I associate with the phrase include Schindler’s List, Mysterious Skin, Last Days, American Beauty, American History X, Crash, Brokeback Mountain, and so on. These are all films that are important pieces of my DVD collection and are near and dear to my heart. The bond they all share is a raw depiction of human emotion. This is what I respond to. Baldwin, perhaps more than anyone I have read or will read, taps into something universal.

Not everyone may find Baldwin accessible, or even enjoyable. I think the defining moment in a person’s growth as an appreciator of art is when they can step outside themselves and acknowledge that art does not exist solely for their entertainment. The sooner you can get past yourself and look at something for what it is, the better. Of course our experiences pass through filters before we assign meaning to them, but even so, we can train ourselves to put that on hold and realize that it’s selfish to only look at something in terms of whether you “liked it” or not. That sounds condescending and like an indictment of people who don’t “get” art, but it’s how I feel, so maybe it is both.

I have enjoyed my introduction to Baldwin through Going to Meet the Man. His work seems too important for me not to come back to after finishing this collection. I am not sure I can imagine a scenario where I don’t go on to read most, if not all, of his other writing in my lifetime. Just like discovering a new band or a new film director, it’s exciting, and I look forward to getting deeper into his work.

Ed. this was posted eight hours before the time it shows here. I updated the options to reflect the Pacific time zone after posting.