[oldE]

Nostatic,

I think the point the gentleman was trying to make is (at that level) the process is not looking inward to determine how the art (writing in this case) made them feel or how they perceived it, but to study how the artist did what they did.

If you are to be a mechanic it really isn't germaine whether or not you feel tingles up your spine when you hear a racing engine at 10,000RPM. What is important is: do you know how to use a torque wrench? Can you inspect for faults and assemble an engine?

Our education system, for some muddle-headed reasoning, wastes much effort telling kids anything they do is fine as long as they don't cause trouble. The kids know BS when they smell it. They need to be challenged, they need to know that success was theirs, not handed to them.

We as a society need people who aren't just 'in touch with their feelings' but also know how things work and how to get them done.

You might say that most who are enrolled in literature courses aren't going to be authors. You are probably right. But they might go on to be editors, reviewers, journalists, etc. and it would be good if they actually understood the process. Heck, it's good for all of us to understand a bit of the process if only to appreciate why we can't do it.

Les