I Want a Word...

...that means "of or related to tradition," but that doesn't carry the very specific meaning of tradition. As in, I'd like to be able to talk about a "traditional viewing of V for Vendetta" and mean something akin to a "feminist viewing of V for Vendetta," only instead of talking about the relation of power and sexuality I'd be talking about the relationship of tradition--artistic, religious, and culture--to power. Because I think it'd make an interesting essay.

After all, V is in his way the ultimate liberal, the ultimate rebel, one so opposed to everything he sees that he has chosen to make himself into an icon for freedom and destruction. But the way we know he's serious about this is that he's a scholar and an art critic who fills his basement with "classic" (read: traditional) books and movies.

I think this irony may have been even more consciously embraced in Alan Moore's original graphic novel. One scene (reproduced in the movie) revolves around the highly immoral and lecherous hobby of a well-respected Anglican priest and his death at the hands of V. In the graphic novel, the "chapter" (in which, of course Evey's honor is preserved despite the priest's desires) has a title: "Virtue Victorious." Moore is very fluent with the terminology of Victorian times--so it is hard to imagine the "Virtue" of the chapter title doesn't at least carry an echo of the archaic euphemism for virginity. It's a perfectly V-esque moment--in its implicit appeal to Victorian sensibilities it demonstrates that V is far more appreciative of the "tradition" of the English culture he wishes to topple than those who claim to be "virtuous" while seeking only power. And after all, isn't that subtle wit far more "English" than the England V is warring against?

And so on. But I won't do more, because I don't have time. But I'd like to know a term that works for this. I mean, "feminist critique" would never have gotten anywhere if it'd been called "womanly critique."

Errata

It turns out that, in my rush to write an article about the West Wing episode, I misinterpreted at least one major line. Bartlet hadn't lost any of his literal sons, and was speaking metaphorically about the troops who'd died under his command, and particularly troops lost in a completely unpredictable hurricane.

Also, when I talked about Bartlet studying to be a priest at Notre Dame, I mean he was studying theology as an undergraduate at Notre Dame, IL. I've been informed that other interpretations were left open.

Also, one other vague area that I'd like to clarify: the point of the article was to explore the idea of "faith" and "works," continuing a long-term contemplation but triggered at the moment by West Wing. The show itself is far from a Christian show (though not perhaps as far as one might assume), and I am not endorsing its views of salvation. Even so, it goes to show how even a popular television show can serve one function of art by asking questions aesthetically that resonate at many levels. Perhaps soon I'll do an entry on contemporary television, its tendency to replace iron-clad answers with open-ended questions, and the relative merits of wrong answers and wrong questions in imperfect human art.