Quote:
|
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
I did state an opinion though:-
"--- I personally regard it as a useful addition to the keris literature."
|
Well that appears to be one opinion no one has so far disagreed with.
However, this article presents it's information not as opinion, but as fact. As such i personally have no problem questioning some of these views and i don't necessarily need evidential proof to the contrary to make a point about it.
For instance...
"The hilt is shaped to represent a squatting human figure (understood as a “divine” ancestor) and shares the same material as the blade, iron (or steely iron),
which is often meteoric and therefore a symbol of the cosmic force."
What convincing evidence has
ever been presented that meteoric ore was used with any consistency in keris manufacture before the Prambanan meteorite fall? I could never say that no keris was ever made with meteoric material before that 18th century fall, but i do feel fairly safe saying that it wasn't used "often" before then. Frankly, it wasn't really used
often even
after Prambanan.
Yes, i do realize that there are those who hold the opinion that keris have always used such "star metal" in its construction. However, if you are going to put that kind of questionable "information" in an academic article on the subject without backing up such claims they are, IMHO, fair game for criticism.
But frankly, i don't think i use that word criticism in the same manner as you do Alan. Maybe it is because i teach and am accustom to facilitating critique class all the time that i tend to use the secondary meaning of the word more often.
"...the analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work. Alternative methods of criticism supported by well-developed literary theories.
synonyms:evaluation, assessment, appraisal, analysis, judgment"
Criticism need not always be negative and i do hope we can also discuss the virtues of this article as well as its potential errors.
Perhaps you could discuss what you actually find useful about the article.