A philippic, a glance at the bigger picture

"An orientation in aesthetic theory is not an idea, or even a premise,
but a habitual direction of reference..." - 'The Mirror and the Lamp'
p.100

I'm not sure postirony is the sole, or the primary, way of looking at
literature or culture. Surely most of this is quibbling over arcane
genres, movements, and general ivory tower mumbo jumbo.
Yet it feels somehow refreshing--and in itself "neo-sincere"--*to be
able to* quibble over such minutiae contra the choking pervasity of
late postmodernism's long, snide tendrils.