The people's voice., 1959-07-24
The Continuing Controversy At MSU
Leslie Feid|er and the Nei|s Report

H
reach out and touch Behind Mr..
Barzun's America, and mine, and
| (God forgive us) Gods, there is a
complex, ambiguous, infinitely res
onant fact that shrinks into insig-
nificance beside no rubric however
vast, and for whose sake we must
suffer glady the platitudes we would
have blushed to say at seventeen"
(5) "And, after all, cannot the
novel-especially that versatile hy-
brid the political novel; do for us
what the journalists and commenta-
tors have fumbled-make Commu-
nism finally fact of the imagination
as we'll as of the journals. Mediating
as it does between the document and
poetry, the actual and the mythic, the
novel seems precisely the form for
the job This quotation, from Com
mentary' June 1866, seems obviously
meant by Mr.. Neils Cor Bowen) to
suggest that Mr.. Fielder thinks of the
novel as a form which can we'll be
used to make Communism more imag-
NATIVE and attractive than does docu-
mentary or journalistic writing. But
that is not Fiedler's meaning at all;
he wishes the novel to be used to make
Communism as unattractive as he
thinks it ought to be made.
BUT 1T is IGNORED
This quotation again is from a book
review by Mr.. Fielder. The review
begins with very meaningful SEN
tence which Mr.. Neils Cor Bowen)
ought not to have ignored: "Surely,
one of the realest terrors of Com
munism issues from our inability to
ina gine it, to find analogies for the
particular brands of fear and sub
sevience, devotion and loyalty it
breeds" Of course dull person could
think that we should never admit that
Communism breeds devotion and
loyalty. But Mr.. Fielder does not
write for dull people. This first SEN
tence of Mr.. Fiedler's review, which
Mr.. Neils has ignored, and the entire
review from which it is taken, consti-
tute ringing hope that the novel
form of writing can be used to keep
alive the sense of freedom and re-
sponsibility which he sees imperiled
in the modern world, especially by the
fear and subservience bred by Com
Mr.. Neils has completely
Mr.. Fiedler's position.
cannot deal with all the quota
tions in Mr.. Neils' pamphlet; l have
not the space nor time, and | cannot
find some of the magazines from
which the quotations are taken. Some |
Of the quotations are not perversions |
Of meaning like those | have shown,
they are misrepresentation only be- |
cause they are taken out of their full |
would look very strange until seen
within large picture, or sharp bit
Of seasoning or a severe gesture could |
seem much out of the way if taken
Out of the context of a confection
Or life. | obviously cannot handle
hose points here.
Let me present a last instance of
What seems to be an inexcusable mis-
representation of Mr.. Fiedler's ideas.
On page 10 of his pamphlet Mr.. Neils
las the following quotation: C.. Only
n the Marxist scheme for remaking
ociety could l then see the posi-
'ility of winning my freedom rather
han buying it at the expense of
omeone else-particularly the ne
'ro.'
The quotation purports to be from
he Commentary review of June
955. But it is not there; I do not
now where it may be in some other
iece of Mr.. Fielder and therefore
aust comment on it out of context.
f it is his, and l suppose it is, it
GEMS to be statement by Mr.. Fled
ar that in years past ("then") he
vas drawn toward Marxism. Such
tatement would be no surprise to
nyone who knows Mr.. Fielder or his
1riting. But any such person knows |
lst as clearly that Mr.. Fielder is l
OF MarXist or Communist now and {
as not been for many years. His Y
ritings are full of the most clear Il
nd cogent arguments against these p
ositions-which is not to say that he a
ould find no inSiphtS in these svs- S