Denis Dutton's death came as a complete surprise, and judging by some other online reactions, to others as well.Even since last night at 9:08 pm or whenever it was I first posted I have not had the chance to read his obituaries and get more information. I know this much: Mr. Dutton personally wrote each of those blurbs that appear on Arts & Letters Daily. Every single one of them. That is a remarkable feat itself.
And every single time I got on the A&L site there was something else that was interesting. Last night it was Mr. Dutton's blurb, "Does America have a national character?," which sounded pretty close to the idea of a "soul" that has been occupying me. The first thing I noticed that was amiss when I got on the site was the header in all black type instead of the usual red. Then I saw the link to the obituaries. Awful.
Like so many websites, A&L reflected one person's taste, judgment, style. Arts & Letters Daily was Denis Dutton.
