n 1955, American writer William Gaddis published a book called The Recognitions, a fact that might seem like it has little to do with replica handbags except to people familiar with the book's contents. The Recognitions is about a somber, spiritually inclined man who is also an artistic genius. He initially dedicates his life to God, but abandons his priestly career to become an art forger.
The man is dedicated exclusively to forging the works of the Flemish masters of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Because? For the sincerity of the spirituality they evoke. The works of man are counterfeits; however, they are even more powerful and spiritually serious than the originals, or at least as good. Hans Memling or Rogier van der Wieden were humble men who would have been happy to have produced as good a work as one of the forgeries of the main character. They are superior to the "originals".
The modern world of art collecting and so-called "culture", always in search of authenticity, is "ripped off" by the works of the ill-tempered art forger. People pay millions to own these counterfeit masterpieces, not because of their actual quality, but because of what their "original" status means to the world of art and culture. During the 20th century, Flemish paintings have essentially become status symbols. However, this search for status among the cultural elite has the aura of respectability and even "spirituality." Meanwhile, real mystical Christianity is viewed with suspicion. This is bad? Isn't mystical Christianity based on pagan myths? What is "real" even? What is truth and what is falsehood?
The Recognitions postulate that "authenticity" is itself a chimera, an illusion that, in the past, gave people a justification for looting and looting (as during The Crusades). In the modern era, it has become a fashionable product and has justified people indulging in their vanity to the fullest.
What does all this have to do with replica handbags? Now, the answer is quite clear. William Gaddis, with The Recognitions, paved the way for what many now consider "postmodern" literature. He has inspired other writers of great, unwieldy, complex postmodern novels brimming with scholarship and fact, such as Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace (who recently died).
However, despite the cultural impact of his work, William Gaddis made no money from his novels. Do you think that if he had wanted to, this cultural luminary would have been able to afford an expensive bag from brands that get away with charging consumers thousands of dollars just for his name? Probably not. How about a fine, high-quality replica handbag that looks exactly the same? and is it as well crafted as the "originals" you are imitating?
Yes, one of the most "original" writers of the 20th century would probably have bought an "imitation" Louis Vuitton bag or purse.