The Illiterate Of The Future Will Not

In Other Words, The Unique Value Of The "authentic" Work Of Art Has Its Basis In Ritual, The Location Of Its Original Use Value. This Ritualistic Basis, However Remote, Is Still Recognizable As Secularized Ritual Even In The Most Profane Forms Of The Cult Of Beauty.

The Greater The Decrease In The Social Significance Of An Art Form, The Sharper The Distinction Between Criticism And Enjoyment By The Public. The Conventional Is Uncritically Enjoyed, And The Truly New Is Criticized With Aversion.

In The Fields With Which We Are Concerned, Knowledge Comes Only In Flashes. The Text Is The Thunder Rolling Long Afterward.

Even The Most Perfect Reproduction Of A Work Of Art Is Lacking In One Element: Its Presence In Time And Space, Its Unique Existence At The Place Where It Happens To Be.

By Close-ups Of The Things Around Us, By Focusing On Hidden Details Of Familiar Objects, By Exploring Commonplace Milieus Under The Ingenious Guidance Of The Camera, The Film, On The One Hand, Extends Our Comprehension Of The Necessities Which Rule Our Lives; On The Other Hand, It Manages To Assure Us Of An Immense And Unexpected Field Of Action.