The Aphorism Now - Failing with Style

The Aphorism, a pithy observation which contains a general truth, is alive and well in the digital age. Its brevity, distilled wisdom and often wit make it perfect for social media. And BBC Radio Three's New Generation Thinker Dr Noreen Masud, believes that with its new popularity it has lost some of its traditional authority and often slightly pompous tone. She has made a close study of Aphorisms through the ages, and argues that the Aphorism can now be heard in a very different way.
She talks to Sarah Manguso, author of '300 Arguments', who has deployed more guarded, almost reluctant Aphorisms, and between them they raise the possibility that Aphorisms can speak of doubt as much as certainty. Noreen suggests that in an age which celebrates brevity, the aphorism is used most effectively, not by the learned and aloof, but by those on the fringes of society who want a voice but have to make do with something that won't see them interrupted or shouted down. In this sense the 21st-century Aphorism permits failure as much as it celebrates brilliance.

Producer: Tom Alban