Came so far for beauty

General discussion about Leonard Cohen's songs and albums
Steven
Posts: 2140
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 12:32 am

Re: Came so far for beauty

Post by Steven »

Hi Chocaholly,

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for the great post. I don't know if there's been a previous citing to
Emily Dickinson on this. I'd be willing to bet that the L.C. song was influenced by Emily Dickinson.
Emily Dickinson was a poet whose body of work was essentially unknown to all but a few during her
lifetime. The "beauty" for her wasn't dependent on external validation of a reading public. Not that she didn't
want exposure. Just didn't need it. The beauty was in being enveloped within art. I don't know if Leonard
Cohen would have persevered in art (or life) were his work not validated by critics and fans. I don't know if the
beauty would have been sufficient motivation for him. Emily Dickinson is an idealization of the artist
connected to art for art's sake and a possible role model for dedicated artists who strive to attain or
maintain purity (beauty).

My comments reflect high regard for Leonard Cohen as an artist, of course.
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