CATEGORY: THE ARTS (8 min)
There’s something most people don’t understand about good art—especially today.
Good art is fresh, even transgressive . . .
. . .but that rebellious edge is only meaningful and interesting against a strong basis of tradition.
Writing in Law & Liberty, Mark Judge reviews Jed Perl’s Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts.
He thinks it’s a valuable book, because it helps us understand what great art is.
“The ‘lifeblood of art’ is the tension between authority and freedom”—between the impulse to enforce order and the “love of experimentation and play.”
Art requires a tension between pushing boundaries and having an established standards of excellence to rebel against.
The conservative knock on contemporary art tends to be that it lacks those canonical standards.
But Perl thinks the bigger threat today is not too much freedom but “the stranglehold of relevance.”
To understand what that is—and why it poisons great art—read Judge’s review right here.
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Make sure to reserve your spot before it’s too late—registration closes May 9th and tickets are going fast!
Remember, if you're under 30, tickets are only $50!
Highlights of Homecoming Weekend include:
- A Friday night dinner at Wilmington’s historic Hotel du Pont honoring the winner of ISI’s 2022 Conservative Book of the Year Award, Victor Davis Hanson, for his book The Dying Citizen
- Additional Saturday Reunion Luncheons for Graduate Fellows; Honors Scholars and Society Leaders; and Collegiate Network Editors, Interns, and Fellows past and present to reconnect with their ISI friends
- Our ISI reunion conference Saturday afternoon featuring panels on the purpose of the liberal arts and the future of higher ed
- Saturday evening reception featuring food, live music, and dancing on ISI’s campus
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CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (1 min)
At National Review, Kyle Smith is feeling optimistic about Twitter after the Muskover.
Yes, it’s a toxic mess, frequently decried by those who occupy it. But you know what else?
It’s also a heck of a lot of fun. A “wonderful community bulletin board for jokes,” Smith writes.
So maybe . . . if Elon Musk can encourage Twitter’s libertarian leanings . . . and blast the idea that “speech I don’t like is violence” out into space . . .
Twitter might not be so bad?
After reading Smith’s essay, do you feel cause for optimism too?
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
1619 Comes to Campus: 1 Speaker, 6 Co-Hosts, and 9 Migraines via the Dartmouth Review
YCT vs. UDems: A Student Account via the Texas Horn
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CATEGORY: WRITING (8 min)
Have you ever wanted to write satire?
It’s one of the most compelling forms of writing . . .
. . . if it’s done well.
Satire is one of the trickiest literary styles to develop. But pastor-author Douglas Wilson is here to show you how to do it—and more importantly, when.
In this article you’ll discover:
- why humility is necessary to write good satire
- how to use satire as a tool to promote truth, not subvert it
- the satirical masters you need to read
- how to avoid the trap of becoming a toxic writer instead of a pithy one
- the type of person who should never try his hand at satire
Summer is a great time to learn new skills, so read this article, crack open some Jane Austen, and then start honing your satirical wit.
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“Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow.”
—Cicero
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Thank you for reading. Share with a friend!
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Who We Are, What We Do
Too many college students feel isolated or attacked for questioning the ever-narrowing range of debate on campus.
We introduce you to the American tradition of liberty and to a vibrant community of students and scholars so that you get the collegiate experience you hunger for.
Get the college experience you deserve—before you graduate.
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