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INTERVIEWER
Do you see anything getting better—art, for instance?
BARTHELME
I don’t think you can talk about progress in art—movement,
but not progress. You can speak of a point on a line for
the purpose of locating things, but it’s a horizontal line, not a
vertical one. Similarly the notion of an avant-garde is a bit off. The
function of the advance guard in military terms is exactly that
of the rear guard, to protect the main body, which translates
as the status quo. You can speak of political progress, social
progress, of course—you may not see much of it, but it can be
talked about.
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