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How to develop more sophisticated taste
Sunday, 6 August 2006
We live in an impatient world. Technology has given us unprecedented control over what we consume. If you don’t like what you’re watching on TV, there’s a hundred other channels just waiting for you to flick over to them. If you only like eating certain things, you’ll find them available virtually everywhere you go. And, of course, if you’re not enjoying reading this, there are a billion other pages only a mouse click away.
There is no denying that this is a wonderful thing. Who could be unhappy with being able to consume whatever we want with minimal effort?
However, as a result of the endless and effortless choice, popular culture has no option but to become more frantic, flashy and easy-to-consume. Movie special-effects increase the size of the explosions, commentary becomes more opinionated, and drama gets more dramatic.
The producers of modern culture know that in order to gain and hold people’s attention, they must be fast and flamboyant. As a result, consumers become even more demanding – they want it faster, cheaper, easier, and louder.
But not everything good fits these criteria. In the buzz and noise of modern popular culture, the development of more sophisticated taste becomes lost. The benefits of many of the best cultural products are not immediately obvious. To really appreciate high culture often requires some work and experience. It doesn’t give up it best secrets straight away and with little effort, and so it often becomes ignored.
This is a shame, because, as a result, many people are missing out on some of life’s greatest pleasures. Pop culture is fast, fun and easy, but often lacking in subtlety and contemplation. High culture requires more work to appreciate, but is almost always worth the effort.
And in order to understand just what it is you’re missing out on, you have to put in a certain amount work. There’s no sales pitch listing the benefits in easy-to-digest bullet points. You’ll just have to take my word for it that the exercise is worth it.
Think of it as like when you advanced from a child’s tastes to those of an adult’s. Children can’t understand why anyone would watch anything but cartoons and eat anything but ice-cream. It’s not until they grow up do they understand that there’s more to life.
Moving from only appreciating pop culture, to liking high culture as well is a similar journey. You may still enjoy cartoons and ice-cream, but you’ll have a much wider range of amusements to choose from.
So here are some suggestions of ways to broaden the horizons of your tastes, assuming you haven’t done so already. I've included Amazon links to suggested products. Being a consumer of high culture is a lifelong journey, but each step increases your enjoyment.
Opera and classical music
The easiest opera for most beginners is Bizet’s Carmen. It’s the story of a beautiful gypsy who drives the men who fall for her to ruin and madness. It’s probably the world’s favorite opera, and you’ll almost certainly recognize some of the music. If you’re not currently into opera, it will probably take a few listens before you start to enjoy it. Reading up on the story will help, as will hiring a film version from your local video store or even better seeing it on the stage. Once you’ve graduated from Carmen, it’s probably worthwhile buying some kind of opera compilation such as this one to sample others you may like.
A good place to start in classical music is Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Nutcracker. Once again, you’ll probably recognize some of the music. Beethoven, Bach and Mozart are also worth a sample to explore what style you like.
Food
The moment in life when you start to realize that there’s more to food than potato chips and takeaway pizza is really exciting. I always feel sorry for fussy eaters who stick to the safe and easy choices, because they’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. Becoming a true foodie enriches time spent on this Earth like few other things.
To begin your journey, I recommend reading Nigel Slate’s Appetite. This wonderful book teaches that good food is mostly about fresh ingredients well-prepared meals - rather than the show-off fare most people associate with haute cuisine. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain is also a great introduction to the bawdiness and bliss of restaurant culture. And for the true fanatic, there’s few better books than Larousse Gastronomique.
Of course reading about food is nothing compared to consuming it. Pick up a good restaurant guide for your town and start eating out more often. The secret is to experiment with the variety of wonderful fare that’s been developed by various cultures over the centuries.
For those who want an entertaining night of food porn, few films beat Eat, Drink, Man, Woman and Dinner Rush.
History
We all like stories, but none are as exciting, educational and inspiring as that of human history. Many people have any love for history driven from them by boring lessons at school. Don’t let those comatose teachers steal such a pleasure from you.
If you’re interested in getting started on the greatest story ever told, then a wonderful and entertaining book is H G Wells An Outline of History. Yes, that's the same H G Wells who wrote The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine.
For a fascinating high-level look at how those who originated from Europe and Asia came to rule the world, pick up a copy of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel. Diamond gives an eye-opening explanation of why the Spanish came to conquer native America and not the Native Americans Spain. Will Durant’s Heroes of History is also a great read.
Art
If you’ve ever wondered what the big deal is about Michelangelo, Cubism and Modern Art, then The Story of Art is for you. Through beautiful photographs of artwork, and explanations of how it’s developed over the millenniums, this book will teach you to see in ways you never have before. Art galleries won't seem like boring places afterwards.
For a brilliant explanation of how history’s greatest artist became consumed with his trade, read Irving Stone’s The Agony and The Ecstasy about the life of Michelangelo.
High literature
If you like well-told stories, then you haven’t really lived until you’ve come to appreciate the brilliance of the big three in Western culture. They are Homer, Dante and Shakespeare. These can all be relatively heavy going in the early stages. Learning to enjoy them is a bit like learning a musical instrument – difficult at first but ultimately very rewarding. Copies of their great works, along with explanatory texts, are available in most libraries and bookstores.
Philosophy
Most people think of philosophy as being difficult, boring and impractical. They picture an old bearded man sitting alone in a dark room thinking deep and pointless thoughts. Unfortunately, some philosophy is like this, but most of it is clear and practical. It's about exploring who we are and where we live down to the very foundations. Once you’ve understood the great philosophers, you’ll never look at the world quite the same.
A good, and entertaining, place to start is with the novel Sophie’s World, about a young girl being taught the importance of philosophy. After that, you can move onto a contemporary history such as Will Durant's Story of Philosophy or a definitive work such as Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy.
I hope I’ve at least tempted to explore high culture if you’ve never done so before. Of course, you can continue enjoying pop culture as well, if that’s your thing. As is often the case, more is better, and having both available for your consumption will ultimately lead to a richer an more satisfying life.
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