Writing Prestige

I have an interesting topic today, one I hope I will hear lots of input on: The Prestige of writing.

 A little back ground first folks- Are we all familiar with Poets like Keats and Lord Byron? If you are not now would be a good time for a look up. here's the link for Lord Byron

Now little things to take into account- Lord Byron was a very pushy fellow- He pushed boundaries in society, walked his own way, and used that to push all the boundaries he could in writing.

He was very much into affairs, money, and was abused sexually as a child. However today this man is almost revered in our writing world as well as many many others.

 Now here comes the prestige- Did you know poets and such back in Byrons time actually looked down upon those who received payment for their work, their "art"?

 They believed that if a person received payment for their work then it wasn't created naturally but created out of what someone else wanted. If they talked about some one receiving payments- it was a low blow and to make it worse- they put it into poems and labeled them less than the poet who wrote about the other person.
Lord Byron was one of the first to really turn these tables.

Critiques and reviewers had such a high impact on a writers reputation. One of these reviewers from the "Scottish Review" Tore apart Byron's work and he retaliated labeling the critique lower than Byron by talking about how he was "paid" to write for the review. Thus turning tables from the critique having the power- to the Writer having the power.

Now today- we shell out hundreds of dollars to get these works of the old...sometimes antique wise, sometimes education wise, and sometimes just because we want it. What do you think this says about us now? Even as writers- do we still have our "Prestige" or have we sold our selves out? or has our culture just made getting paid acceptable now? Is the power struggle still continuing between critique and writer?
Looking forward to all of your thoughts on this.