yaxomoxay wrote:On a very broad, general look I don't disagree with you. Academic discussion is yrev very important.
THE problem is when things are overcomplicated in the analysis process. More often than not, things are incredibly simple, especially when they're about humans; as TP shows, it's the supernatural that makes things more complex.
The obvious symptom is that when over-complication happens things are brought outside of their true realm of existence. Technically speaking I could write a paper titled:
"The lack of firemen in the world of Twin Peaks," in which I expose how Lynch despises firemen by not making them central of the world of Fire (walk with me), and in which the natural barrier is composed by firemen. Furthermore, Lynch's love for Law Enforcement (Truman, Cooper, Hawk etc.) clearly indicates his love for authority. So the central question is: is Lynch authoritarian?
Granted, how I wrote it sucks, but if I had better narrative capabilities I would certainly be able to construct such an argument in a way that would find enough followers. I don't deny the right of any individual/critic to write such paper. Be my guest. What I "deny" (for the lack of a better word) is taking this joyful experience and making it an over thought intellectual exercise trying to read stuff that more likely is not there.
You sort of addressed this on your own already, but while you would be more than welcome to make that argument, it would have to live and die on the strength of its analysis and how much other people find merit in what you're presenting. You could absolutely make that a serious post if you were so inclined. In fact, if you have a serious argument about how the show works that hasn't been brought up yet, I'd encourage you to go for it!
In the meantime, serious posts discussing gender portrayals (not to condemn, but to analyze and address) have gained traction among multiple posters; the flow of conversation here will sort out the merit of any given analysis on its own.
Certainly if you did try to seriously present that argument, my response wouldn't be "No one should talk about firemen or authoritarianism," but "I'm not sure that reading holds up," if I felt strongly enough about it to weigh in.
Sometimes writers just write something because they think it's a good story to tell.
As someone who does write seriously, and is often around other writers, I would challenge you a bit on that. There are certainly who people write, and read (or in this case view) solely for disposable thrill, but there are just as many, and certainly those who most inspire Lynch, who do so because storytelling is their means of communication. For that matter, this is a man who has said in interviews that he was most inspired by the work of non-narrative or narratively experimental filmmakers. Lynch himself regularly (or even solely) engages in narratively obtuse, deeply personal art.
Why tell a story? It's an important question. Why make art? Usually it's to inspire emotions and ideas in the audience too complex to be affected through other forms of communication; narrative is a powerful thing.
No one is diminishing a work by investigating its patterns and messages, successful or otherwise. I'd say it would be diminishing a piece more to pretend such elements don't exist.
SpookyDollhouse wrote:Can we all agree that Twin Peaks is fiction, and if there are aspects of it you don't like then it's not for you? David Lynch isn't sexist, Mark Frost isn't sexist, if you want to reach and say so then that's on you.
But it
is for me, and they aren't sexist. That doesn't mean they can't misfire on gender portrayal in one project.
If that even holds true in this case; I'd much rather anyone who wants to enter the conversation actually debate the reading, rather than the conversation itself.
This conversation would have been contained to a handful of posts every few pages if people were comfortable just not engaging in discussions that don't interest them, by the way. Breadcrumbing for backwards shots or the plot-level significance of Andy's Rolex seem off the mark for me, so those posts just get scrolled over.