The Frontal Cortex

From Dawn To Decadence

Posted by Jonah Lehrer on November 27, 2006
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Jacques Barzun was right.

Once upon a time, Christie’s auctioned off great literary manuscripts. I’m particularly covetous of this Proust galley:
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Ah, how times change. Christie’s is now auctioning off a masterpiece of our own disenlightened and decadent age, a junior high school essay by Britney Spears on Antigone:

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PS. If you think Britney is inarticulate, just wait until you read this masterpiece by Lindsay Lohan:

Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourselves’ (12st book) -everytime there’s a triumph in the world a million souls hafta be trampled on.-altman Its true. But treasure each triumph as they come..

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Comments

  1. #1 Mustafa Mond, FCD
    November 27, 2006

    The horror! The horror!

    Actually, I don’t think Ms. Spears’ piece is bad for junior high school. Her fame does not come from writing, so the sale value will be based solely on celebrity, not talent. I know people who would pay a great deal of money for Elvis’ ear wax.

  2. #2 Jonah
    November 27, 2006

    Her writing isn’t bad? What about the sentence that begins “Their was a roomer…”? But I didn’t mean to imply that we no longer have talented writers. I just think our culture has become more interested in celebrity than talent. At this rate, we’ll soon be auctioning off K-Fed’s lyrics…

  3. #3 Maria loves pictures
    November 28, 2006

    What a shame for humanity, I wonder if Britne’s essay has any value at all. The Christie’s are ruining their own reputation. The guy who is selling the essay, must be a true fan of Britney.

    Thank you for sharing this story with me !

  4. #4 Mustafa Mond, FCD
    November 28, 2006

    Her writing isn’t bad?

    for junior high school.