“If you try to write ‘good lines’ you’ll likely wind up with strings of dumb, unconnected applause lines. The audience will probably applaud–crowds of supporters are dutiful that way, and people want to be polite–but they’ll know they’re applauding an applause line, not a thought, and they’ll know they’re enacting enthusiasm, not feeling it. This accounts for some of the tinniness of much modern political experience.”
Peggy Noonan, A Sunday Thought (“Peggy Noonan’s Blog,” The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 3, 2013)
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
An ArtsJournal Blog