Here we go again. Richard Schickel says:
"Let me put this bluntly, in language even a busy blogger can understand: Criticism — and its humble cousin, reviewing — is not a democratic activity. It is, or should be, an elite enterprise, ideally undertaken by individuals who bring something to the party beyond their hasty, instinctive opinions of a book (or any other cultural object). It is work that requires disciplined taste, historical and theoretical knowledge and a fairly deep sense of the author's (or filmmaker's or painter's) entire body of work, among other qualities."
...and...
"I don't think it's impossible for bloggers to write intelligent reviews. I do think, however, that a simple "love" of reading (or movie-going or whatever) is an insufficient qualification for the job. That way often leads to cultishness (see the currently inflated reputations of Philip K. Dick or Cornell Woolrich, both easy reads for lazy, word-addicted minds). "
I say :
Bollocks.
Of Mr Shcickel one would ask: Is one born elite? Or is eliteness something one has to be trained in? And if so, where does one have to enrol?
How exactly does one becomes elite if one does not start somewhere and then practice..?
Aye. Bollocks sounds about right... :)