The Washington times., 1932-09-20

ideas?" He had to write alone assisted by poets
of the plain" So he longed for Europe.
Setting America Free
The quotations above come to in V. F. Cavertons
federation of American Literature,' which Scrlbners
have pust published 1t is further volume IN the uno1-
ca series started by Van Wyck Brooks IN 1918 When ne
beoan to build up the past of America and make 1t part
of our inheritance. Ludwig LeWlsohns expression III
America which came out last year. is one OF the pest
examples of the spirit in regarding American tera
ture spirit which has nothing to do with the class
room and which does not set Washington Irving and
Walt Whitman into different compartments but tries 10
show the connection between them
Mr. Caverton is not saying what Freneau sald; ne
is only saying that American writers have suffered
from the colonial complex which maze US saves ~
England and then from Calvinism which degenerateo
into Vctorianism and finally from the horrible circu
stance that all American writers (untll o'clock yes
terday afternoon) had petty bourgeois psychoiogy'
In short Freud and Marx have joined hands and are
dancing around the maypole, but the maypole looks
suspiciousy like a scaffold
Poor Old Bourgeoisie
7 assure you that Calvertons book has many line
things in it. many good distinctions for instance with
the Puritan the stress had been character WIN
the wealthy bourgeoise the emphasis was upon reput
+ion Anv time modern writer has even PACK
handed compliment for the Puritan that news Cal-
veron is writing an interior history OIL fAeiUa Wy
wav of it's novess and poets; he knows hat America
nushed it's frontier westward until having reached the
Pacific it could go further and began to explore the
frontiers of industry and Imperialism he SHOWS that
our writer's were influenced by the events about them;
he says guardedly that he isn't writing pure literary
criticism Yet you cannot help thinking that to him the
importance of any writer lies in the help that writer
has given to the proetaran revolution.
On Dancing
On things not in the Communist line Mr.. Caverton
can be very amusing. haven't read anything tunnler
in years than his remarks jazz and dancing: Since
the war, the dance has become mania. 1t is the mad
derious dance of men and women who have had to
seize upon something vcarious outlet for their
crazed emotions Jazz has provided that escape IN
increasing measure it's ubilant antics and rhythms
have become madder and madder in their tumult OF re-
lease" I wonder if Mr. Calverton has looked at
people dancing and noticed the glazed eye, the alb
sorbed look the general dullness they slowly
and solemnly around the floor. Of course, if he is
describing the waltz can understand what he
by tumult and all the rest of it; but jazz dancing is
very quiet.
Not a Communist
However, have read myself out of the record
cannot criticize any proetarianate book because nave
petty bourgeois ideoogy in my blood. This doesn't
prevent from knowing that I'm Fool is probably
the best single story Sherwood Anderson ever wrote
and that it hasn't any economic significance than
a fly has; and that it was published in magazine
called The DIAL which had to do with the liberia
ton of American writer's than nineenths of the
zines Mr. Calverton mentions. But it petty bour
geois Mr. Caverton has discreetly omitted it from
his history altogether