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The same patterns characterize the realms of art and literature. Art lovers were shocked, on occasion even repulsed, when they first beheld the paintings of Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. I doubt many still feel that way. To the contrary, their art is now found to be deeply moving, invigorating, even psychically healing. That’s not because it has lost its originality with time; rather, that originality has become one with our perception, so that, naturally, it has become a part of us, a reference point, as it were.
Similarly, the literary styles of Natsume Sōseki and Ernest Hemingway are now celebrated. Yet both were criticized, at times even ridiculed, by their contemporaries. Not a few of their readers （many of whom belonged to the cultural elite at the time） were turned off. Today, however, their styles function as a kind of standard. It is my impression, in fact, that if Sōseki and Hemingway had never developed those styles, the literature that we read today in the West and in Japan would be somewhat different. Taking it a step further, I think it’s arguable that their styles have become part of the mental landscapes of Japanese and English readers.
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It is relatively easy to take up examples of “originality” from the past and analyze them from today’s perspective. Almost always, the things that should have disappeared—for lack of originality—have already done so, leaving us to confidently evaluate what remains. As countless instances show, however, it is far more difficult to properly assess, in real time, new forms of expression in our immediate environment. That is because they often contain elements seen as unpleasant, unnatural, nonsensical, or sometimes even antisocial. Or else just plain stupid. Whatever the case, those around us tend to react with surprise and, at the same time, shock. People instinctively dislike those things they can’t understand, a pattern characteristic of members of the establishment who are buried up to their ears in the dominant forms of expression. They tend to apprehend the newcomer with abhorrence and disgust, because, in a worst-case scenario, the very ground upon which they stand might fall away from under them.
The Beatles would seem to occupy a special category, since they were popular from the outset, thanks to their huge base of youthful fans. Yet that popularity was far from universal. Many saw their songs as no more than a passing fad, throwaway music not in the same league with classic works. In fact, most of the establishment actively disliked them and expressed that disapproval every chance they got. It’s hard to believe now, but many older people detested their haircuts and fashion, to the point that it became a social problem. There were even scattered demonstrations where Beatles records were gleefully broken or torched. Only later did the general public come to appreciate how innovative, and how good, their music was. In other words, only when it had achieved “classic” status.
In his early days, Bob Dylan played the acoustic guitar and sang protest songs, carrying on the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. When he abandoned that style and went electric, however, a great number of his supporters raked him over the coals, cursing him as a “Judas” and a “traitor” for selling out to commercialism. Yet almost no one comments on that move today. In fact, if we listen to his records in chronological sequence, it becomes clear that they represent the natural and necessary evolution of a creative spirit engaged in a constant process of self-reinvention. To those who at the time tried to cage his originality within the narrow category of “protest folk singer,” though, he was no more than a treacherous infidel.
The Beach Boys were a great hit as a working band, but the heavy pressure to produce original material affected the nerves of their musical leader, Brian Wilson, to such a degree that he essentially retreated into isolation, where he remained for many years. The intricately constructed works that followed his masterpiece, Pet Sounds, deeply disappointed his fan base, who were hoping for something closer to the happy surfing sound of his early career. Yet his music became progressively complex and difficult. I confess that I am one of those who drifted away from the Beach Boys during this time—I just couldn’t understand what they were getting at. Now, I can appreciate the direction they were moving in and how wonderful the music is, but at the time, I honestly couldn’t. “Originality” is a living, evolving thing, whose shape is devilishly hard to pin down.
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In my opinion, an artist must fulfill the following three basic requirements to be deemed “original”：