The Little Review, September 1914 (Vol. 1, No. 6)Various
History
The Little Review, September 1914 (Vol. 1, No. 6)
Various
Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
First there are twelve pages of what seem to be the rare-bit dream of a
type-setter, but which on closer inspection prove to be a table of
curses, much like the old table which has now been cut from the Anglican
prayer-book. "BLAST" they say "CURSE! DAMN"--"England, France, Humor,
Sport, years 1837 to 1900, Rotten Menagerie, castor-oil." "CURSE" also
"those who will hang over this manifesto with SILLY CANINES exposed."
After these twelve pages come half the number of blessings, again from
the prayer-book. "BLESS" they say "England, all ports, the Hairdresser,
Humor, France, and castor-oil."
Then comes the Manifesto. No woman of the olden times found without a
shift could be more shamed than a new cult today found without a
Manifesto. This one begins: "Beyond action and reaction we would
establish ourselves." It proceeds with jaunty violence to settle the
artistic problems of the world. Nonetheless there is much wisdom in the
Manifesto. But you must read it for yourselves to understand it. This
announcement is signed with eleven names, of which the best-known in
this country are probably Ezra Pound, Wyndham Lewis (the editor),
Richard Aldington, and Gaudier Brzeska.
A group of poems by Ezra Pound follows. After the mental indigestion of
the first few pages we cannot be too grateful to Mr. Pound for putting
English words together in such a manner that they at least make
sentences. More than that, they make in places excellent satire. Then
follows a long prose play (at least we should guess it to be prose) by
Wyndham Lewis, called _The Enemy of the Stars_. Seven-tenths of it
consists of stage directions. Here is a sample:
Fungi of sullen violet thoughts, investing primitive vegetation.
Groping hands strummed Byzantine organ of his mind, producing
monotonous black fugue.
The plot unfortunately escaped our perusal, hiding itself in verbiage.
But undoubtedly there is one.
The number also contains the beginning of a serial story by Richard
Aldington, a remarkably vivid short story by Rebecca West called _The
Indissolubility of Matrimony_, and _Vortices_ by the editor. The whole
is copiously sown with Cubist drawings which must be seen to be
appreciated.
So the quarterly street-urchin makes his bow on the literary stage. How
much of his singular make-up will prove to be juvenile spleen and how
much genuine integrity only time can tell. In the meanwhile his tongue
is in his cheek.--E. T.
_The Stigma of Knowing It All_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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