Excerpt from TOWARD A POETICS OF HYPERREALISM by Kenneth Goldsmith
TOWARD A POETICS OF HYPERREALISM The rise of identity politics of the past have given voice to many that have been denied. And there is still so much work to be done: many voices are still marginalized and ignored. Every effort must be made to ensure that those who have something to say have a place to say it and an audience to hear it. The importance of this work cannot be underestimated. Still, identity is a slippery issue, and no single approach can nail it. For instance, I don't think that there's a stable or essential "me." I am an amalgamation of many things: books I've read, movies I've seen, television shows I've watched, conversations I've had, songs I've sung, lovers I've loved. In fact, I'm a creation of so many people and so many ideas, to the point where I feel I've actually had few original thoughts and ideas; to think that what I consider to be "mine" was "original" would be blindingly egotistica...