\n\n\n\n\nShower thought: the style of meme that consists of a library of stock characters applied in different circumstances \u2013 the one you see especially in reddit ragefaces and in the alt-right\u2019s memeing style, but to a lesser extent here as well \u2013 represents a convergent evolution of the Commedia dell\u2019Arte style of comic performance. In a world with more local-level culture and less literacy and internet, I could definitely imagine a lowbrow performing tradition where performers are identified as recognizable archetypes like Forever Alone Guy and Chad on the basis of their iconic masks and outfits.
memes are folk art, the 20th century is a weird blip in which professional art overshadowed folk art
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The Work of Art in the Age of Automatic Reblogging
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