Once kitsch is interpreted ironically, it ceases to be kitsch

Beauty is nature’s way of acting at a distance.

I try to figure out - intellectually, philosophically, psychologically - what the experience of beauty is.

Dumbing down takes many forms: art that is good for you, museums that flatter you, universities that increase your self-esteem. Culture, after all, is really about you.

Once kitsch is interpreted ironically, it ceases to be kitsch

It's a grave mistake in publishing, whether you're talking about Internet or print publication, to try to play to a limited repertoire of established reader interests.

Solemnity and a complete absence of irony also mark kitsch.