When is something "pretentious"?

[Macoleco]

Hi,

As someone who enjoys reading, watching movies, etc, I wonder what gives someone the right to call a work "pretentious", be it a movie, book, etc. I believe there is some subjectivity to this. What may be pretentious for someone, may not be for the author or someone else. Now, I am not the elitist who believes only a very specific pool of books and movies can be called art, even excluding other mediums such as manga, videogames, anime, etc. I believe every medium has its own characteristics and can be called art by its own merits regardless of its form.

I just dont want to write something that will be called pretentious by the majority of people. Maybe by a few is acceptable though. Its not like I care what people say, but I just dont want to be treated like a naive kid writing a book.

[Aoi Magi]

Any publicity is good publicity

[Edwardo Piet]

Pretentiousness is underrated.

[Excited Penguin]

I'm on a behavioral diet. You're not making it easy for me.

[Macoleco]

Pretentiousness is underrated.

This actually makes sense.

[Edwardo Piet]

Yup. What is labelled as "pretentious" is often actually ahead of its time. It's just some fuckers aren't ready yet.

[Alex K]

I think pretentious can mean that one superficially uses certain language, techniques, other elements in one's work simply because they signal sophistication, but without really needing the fake complexity which this adds to the work to achieve ones goals, without appreciating what they actually mean or were invented for.

Example: if an unremarkable german or american small town restaurant issues menues exclusively in french in order to appear exclusive and generate the stylings of great parisian cuisine.

[Edwardo Piet]

I think that's funny though

I do this thing where I start using a word as soon as I learn it. Dropping it into convos even before I understand it. I do this so people can correct me so I have a better understanding when a mere dictionary definition doesn't help much.

[downbeatplumb]

Hi,

As someone who enjoys reading, watching movies, etc, I wonder what gives someone the right to call a work "pretentious", be it a movie, book, etc. I believe there is some subjectivity to this. What may be pretentious for someone, may not be for the author or someone else. Now, I am not the elitist who believes only a very specific pool of books and movies can be called art, even excluding other mediums such as manga, videogames, anime, etc. I believe every medium has its own characteristics and can be called art by its own merits regardless of its form.

I just dont want to write something that will be called pretentious by the majority of people. Maybe by a few is acceptable though. Its not like I care what people say, but I just dont want to be treated like a naive kid writing a book.

I have been accused of being pretentious.
One time I remember was in a course and they were on about tastes and trying to relate it to some other concept, which I cant remember,  they went around the group asking for flavours I said umami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami this was considered a pretentious "smart arse" answer.

Mostly when I am accused of pretentiousness it is because I am either trying to correct "fact" that someone has stated or I'm trying to be a bit out the box. I am a sponge for factoids.

[vorlon13]

Pretentious ?


Moi ???????