Too Profound For Its Own Good

Hidden inside DVDTalk's review of the upcoming DVD release of the Star Wars Trilogy is this nugget of wisdom, which goes a long way toward expressing a sense I've long held regarding the "most important" works of literature:

What's perhaps most interesting about this blend of fantasy and science fiction is that it still remains essentially unique; while many films and television shows were immediately inspired by the science-fictional elements and the sweeping story arc, the fundamental concept of blending the two genres still remains largely the province of Star Wars. That continuing uniqueness is one reason why the three original Star Wars films retain their storytelling power. Think of The Lord of the Rings, in contrast: the original novel was utterly ground-breaking when it was published in the 1950s, but its influence was too profound for its own good. After reading and watching so many stories that were influenced by Tolkien's work, it's almost impossible to experience The Lord of the Rings as having the same power as when it first came out. Not so with Star Wars, which still has its original freshness.

Now I'm not sold on this particular comparison. I happen to see Star Wars more as the culmination of a long-running blend of science fiction and fantasy, from Asimov's Foundation novels to Dune and so forth. But the overall point is a very important one. Often times it is extremely difficult to understand and appreciate the revolutionary or evolutionary influence of an important book (or film or piece of music) because we are already living in a post-revolutionary world.

For example, I am currently reading Mrs. Dalloway, which is almost universally lauded as a groundbreaking landmark in modernist fiction. Yet as a 21st century reader, I have to maintain an intentional self-consciousness to remember that Woolf was practically reinventing the novel, rather than simply recycling modernist literary methods that are now used ad nauseam by thousands of pretenders. It is an challenge, especially while simultaneously trying to make sense of the work itself, but I think it is worthwhile.