Composition as Explanation

In this excerpt from Composition as Explanation, Gertrude Stein explores how the arts separate the generations from what is classic and contemporary. At first her writing came off choppy and repetitive, however, more in-depth reading gave me better understanding to the point she was attempting to get across. Pointing out what makes a classic a classic; Stein develops several points that make the reader realize why contemporaries become classics.

After reading Stein’s analysis, it gave me better understanding to how composition works can portray the era that it was composed in. The idea of acceptance seems to be the major theme on when a contemporary piece becomes classic. Simply put, when the general public accepts the piece, it then becomes a classic. Stein describes this as a natural phenomenon. The accepted piece from each era becomes the classics and distinguished pieces of that generation. For example, The Da Vinci Code may be a classic of this era by Stein’s definition. Stein believed that composition is what separated generations. However in this era that we live in today is composition a good enough measure of what makes a generation significant? For instance, should we use the amount of censorship on television and in movies as the gauge of what separates our generation from others? I highly doubt Britney Spear’s antics would be tolerates in the 1960’s (Marylyn was thought of as scandalous and she is a saint compared to Spears). I feel that how much more liberal and open people have become in this era as portrayed through media is the main divide between earlier generations. While composition and literature is an accurate gauge for earlier times, today I feel that the role has shifted and composition can no longer be the judge of a generation.