The Ben Lerner Syndrome
Conversely to the Stendhal Syndrome we might propose a Ben Lerner Syndrome, as detailed in his novel Leaving the Atocha Station (2011): Ben Lerner’s fictional self visits a gallery in Madrid and while comprehending the art he expects an emotional response and yet feels nothing. It is an explicitly flat affect that defines this art experience. The Ben Lerner Syndrome would be an invulnerability to the bewitching powers of art; a refusal of its special status.
