Full Idea
We must discover the meanings that emerge when works of literature are experience in relation to each other. ...The importance of tradition is that it denotes - ideally, at least - the class of relevant comparisons.
Gist of Idea
Literary meaning emerges in comparisons, and tradition shows which comparisons are relevant
Source
Roger Scruton (Public Text and Common Reader [1982], p.27)
Book Reference
Scruton,Roger: 'The Aesthetic Understanding' [Methuen 1983], p.27
A Reaction
This is a nice attempt to explain why we all agree that a thorough education in an art is an essential prerequisite for good taste. Some people (e.g. among the young) seem to have natural good taste. How does that happen?