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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    40 views11 pages

    The English Magazine 9

    Uploaded by

    Marianne Martindale
    Aristasian fanzine.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    of 11
    The English Magazine ‘Auspicium melioris evi ‘Bolume G, Sjsue ihe Mint There Is Such a Thing as Modernifm “MopeRnisM”, it is sometimes argued, is a father curious aid perhaps misleading name for the ideology of perversion and anti-tra itionalism which rules. the contemporary ‘world, After all, every sensibility mult have Been" modern’” in ie time, and if, as many oF Us believe, the day of modernism is drawing 0 fy surely twill soon cease to be “mod- tind it may well be that some form of {adtionalism will be the moSt modern ideo logy. Could ‘we Bll call anti-traditionalism ‘Spodernism” under those. circumBtances? ‘Should we eall the passé notions which already fseem to belong more to the second and third {Quarters of the zoth century than to the Future nadernism” even now? Tn our view the answer to these queftions is yes. “Modernism” does not simply mean i that happens to be current at the present time. fete something rather different from Sand rather deeper than that. It is an attitude toward currency and time; one that is 50 in- {grained inthe present world-outlook that many people assume that it has been held by fl people at all times. In fat, itis an attitude which we febt find in the x6th century, and then only ax something of a rarity. CS.Lewis, in his. monumental ‘English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, writes of Spenser's con- temporary, Gabriel Harvey: og, with being the’ change of the Mt fe we Of Spartan ube isch artier be bed sonouncod hat the great per= tof tung an logue, was cong te an teicend plcsophy in'duers moral Cand naar linntefe would toon have all the credit. He le tho tobe clasoed with Wiles axa very ealy x Eople of that hltoricalatltade towards the pres Ext which has since Become so common. ‘This is what we mean by modernism. A mod- ‘rnidt ie not simply one who holds the ideology ‘current in his time, but one who believes that jis right boomuse iis current in his time. One twho believes that the present and the Future fal quality of rightness in and of ater” equals “better” or “The other example of this atitude in the tate 16th century Iz provided by Richard Wil- fee, another very minor gure, of whom Lewis series: Tits 0M iterting produtin i, however, his Introduction to the Fidtory of Travel, for hn, {Nie bit of my kaowledges oe Ae tha tipe af abvertinameny sine 20 common. whlch I22y be ealiedhropologel otiniaton: Wiles ‘foal have us buy his Book becuse geography’ is ire fe eben ning hon te geographical age: There was. ne ag the te fram was to much steed inn was Lnourble to bem poet tat fgg te peter There was’ tyre whan iogeke Sir" Ah logy 20 wesrcd the beads of young Sthllers that eyeing. Not Lone see SShpy was kc that hed any slim the Ore fang age? Bat we have change all that and new a Gitbans Tewes, Torken, Moca lel and Burberes be tie dy tn loc with Geograph “Today iis considered so natrel that man should believe an idea oF espouse aa ideology ‘eeause it "the coming thing” or" the latedt dea": and rejedl another because iti “out of date, that mob people assume it has always ‘been fe, and that all ages were “modern” in their own eyes and jufibed themselves in the elves. But they did not In wl of tie moBt exhauBtive Studies of the literature ofthe 7th century, covering alodt every weit~ er of the smalleBt note, Lewis finds only two Bherents of the docirine oF modernism, both from tho TaBt quarter of the century. Te was only very gradually, in the course of the 17th 2nd 10th centuries that this attitude became ‘widespread and ultimately predominant. "The early Proteftants did not justly their revolt againit the Catholic Church by suggeSt~ Ing that they were establishing a religion for ‘our time” or a faith “adapted to the needs of the present day” as modern psoudo-Chnstians dd, On the contrary, their whole jultifcation Sras that they claimed to be returning to the trigial and pristine form of the faith, They ‘were not the next Step in ChriStian evolution” for campaigners for "change" or “progress”, bat rebels ageing the changes Which they be- lieved to have taken place inthe church, which being a"*progrese" away from the original pur- Page 162 ity of the Chriftian revelation could only be a ‘degeneration. Even the ma8t radical of ProteBt- lants-espectlly the most radical—would have fereely argued that any “change” applied to ‘original Chridtanity could only be a change for the worse; that far from "adapting the faith to the timer”, he was opposing and undoing such fdaptations. This, ofcourse, did not mean that his Catholic opponent was in Favour of "adapt ation tothe times”. On the contrary, his juSt8- ation was that he was the preserver of the tradition handed down from the beginning ‘They were agreed upon one thing: upon the Iegitimecy ofthe ancient and the illegitimacy of the new: Each accused the other of innovation. Both agreed that whoever should be proved “modern” would, iso facto, be proved wrong. ‘Even in the 18th century, the torm “revel ution” meant (as it should mean) literally a “earning back”. Ic was juStifed mot on the grounds of building «brave new world, but ‘of returning civilisation to its priftine puri ‘Gradually the dofirine of modernism was accepted, Pechaps its pureSt expression was in the form of Marxism. Marx argued that there were no such things az absolute or objedtive Yalues. All ethics and morality were merely evices serving the ends of the ruling class. ‘There. was no such thing as right oF wrond. How, then could one juftily one's own cause? How’ could. one say that socialism was Fight and capitalism wrong? Marx's solution Classic modernism. Socialism was hiStorically Inevitable, It was the coming thing, therefore it'was right, The only criterion of right and wrong was postion in time: "later" equals peter” new” equals "right". That is the ‘sum total of Marxift ethics, and the perfect ‘tatement of pure modernism, "The same idea has dominated the modern ‘world for the paft century and a half, though Usually in more vague, diluted, sentimental {sed and ilogical variants. "From the foregoing it should be apparent that there isa doctrine of modernism. I simply “what happens to be modern al. any given time”. Tis a dogma which began life 48 the 16th contury and reached its fullest Bow fring in the apth; in its pureSt form, that of Marxism, it seemed for some time to be about to inherit the earth; but Marxism is now dying land modernism has passed its high noon ‘Antinmodernism is essentially the doStrine that truth isnot relative and determined by the Busuating events of hiStory, but that right is Fight and wrong is wrong regardless of what hhappens or who wins; that beauty and good ness are always beauty and goodness) that The Gngl Ragagine Bolume 6 ‘rath is not subjed to the hiftorical process. ‘As Yeats said in response to the Hepelian theory of hitory (upon which Marx based his tialeci) "Ido not think the spring vegetables. Fefuted whan over”, "An aati-modernit is almoft certainly what may be termed a traditionalist, beeause if one believes that chere are objeStive values which fan be known, then one almoSt certainly bs Tieves that they have been known and that fol= Towing the ways laid down by those who have kknoven and taught them in the paSt--whether (Cuinist, Socrates or Confucius-is the correct course. He will also believe that the accum- Tated wisdom of evilisatio isnot a thing t0 be discarded in favour of the lateft scheme or notion, Ofcourse, change is part of life and no Period is quite like any other, but the ant fpodernift believes in congtrudting a future in Tine with the principles of tadition; not neces ‘arly one modelled wpon all the external of ppalk ages, nor one which rejedts all the bene- fits of later ages, but one which does not lose Sight of the fundamentals of our moral, esthetic and cultural heritage ‘The very fate of the word “modern” is an Indicator oF the progeess of modernism. Tn Shakespeare's ime, it meant “vulgar or triv- jal; something which has mushroomed in the present and has no venerability or antiquity be- Find ie In the 2oth century it was almo8t al= ‘a term of approbation. There is no reason that wre should not now use the term" modern!” in Shakespeare's sense. Indeed, use tin the Zoth-oentury sence ix 4 sign of modernism. ‘We suspedt that the dodtrine of mes ‘will continue to be called “ modernism’ Tong ‘fer it has ceased to be modern. Textbooks may one day refer to “the notion of ‘mod- ‘nis? which Rourished 200 years ago". For ‘modernism has nothing to do with being mod- fern (in the sense of "contemporary"); tis a Philosophy of life. "What tz trve is that modernism depends for its very suBtenance upon being contemporary. Like the didator whore only. juftifeation 3S that ‘might is right, once i is out of power, ithas no claim whatever, The sole juBticetion fof moderaiam iz that itis nev, that itis the ‘coming thing. When traditionalism is out of fashion itcan at leat take solace in the Fae that itis right. But when modernism is no long fer modern, t is finished. Unlike the spring Yegetables, and unlike any other doftrine, itis refuted when over. MALAYA, NOTMALAYSIA INSIST 0N IMPERIAL Bolume E The EaghfpMagasine Page 163 ‘describe i to those who do not possess it, and Anecdotes of Snnocence Leaves From The Minutes ‘of a Superior Society MADAM, Having read with approval, the receding lesuas of yr IuBtrious Publication, Shaving found therein a worthy Store. of Sound Opinion & innocent Amusement, | Feel hau it wd. be rot at all unlikely that the humble ‘Prodution oF my inexperienced Pen might be consider'd Rting for the Perusal and Edification of yr. gentle Readers. Accordingly, Thave transcribed a series of Notes taken from 2’ Meeting of a certain Gentlemen's Superior Society, when n certain Matter wh. | know to be of Interelt (or. learned Readers was di cused after Dinner by the Members, Ara hoble Aloofness is the CuStom of our Society, {asthe young Gentlemen present do not their Identities to be known to a Readership as Siscerning as ye. on, [have arranged the Re marks a3.0 series of Aphorisms, the wh. itis in any case easier to follow, there being litle logical sequence to the Argument. Much as 1 twould like to tell you mare aboot our elteertd Society, the cullared and dignified young Gentiemen regard. with Disfavour the Man, ‘who betrays their Secrets, & Loft I find myself Tying im Country Ditch at Sunrise with the Word Traitor” branded upon my Fore-arm, 1 fear] mult forbear. Hoping that these modest Endeavours may have at the leaSt eraw?’é Inumbly near to sr. lofly Standards of Perfedt- fom remain, Madam, Respettully yours, Ponocrates? ‘The queftion which began our discussion, afer 8 lengthy lament on the decline of con- Temporary civilisation, was this—" What is the ork thing about modern people? Is it pos: {ble to identify one particular vice which in- Fes the whole present age like a cancerous growth, and is responsible for all its other ices?” A cortain young gentleman, perceiving hile lighting his pipe) that his’ colleagues ‘ere reticient in their pursual of intalleetual truth, settled himself in his chair, and began fr follows: —The work thing about modern ‘people is that they are not real people at al ‘hep are not real people because they are not Innocent. To lose one’s Inneconce is to forfeit fne’s place in life. Innocence is the bedrock of hhuman exiitence, the indispensable quality ‘which allows us to live, and consequently i is Extremely dificult to describe, Ibis useless to [Euperfivous to explain ito those who do. Loss ‘of Innocence is the wor8t thing that can hap pen toa man, It is the mot grievous charge re can, bring. againtt ‘him—it makes him ‘worse than a thief or a murderer, because at Teak the latter, as fong they remain Inne~ cent, retain their place in the general tapeStry Of humanity. Even about the bloodthirStiegt Fighwayman or brigand there is. something tafe and consistent. If one ever met Dick Tur= pin, one would know how t0 read to him, one Souid hold oneself in a symbolic relation to Srards him: one were a dashing young cava Tier one would take a musket and teach the scoundrel a lesson; i one were venerable ‘and respedied gentleman of mature age, one ‘would take Bteps to ensure the sober precepts OF the law were brought againSt him f one Were a delicate young lady, one would pray for Courage or perhaps seream and fall into a fainting bt; Hone wore a fellow outlaw one ‘would forge a pact and then perhaps dovble- ‘ross him, and s0 on but Unroughout all this, Dick Turpin himself woud remain authentic fand conaiftent. He would be no one else but Dick Turpin. There is no danger that he would suddenly offer to shake hands and say that his Ighway cobbery was only a joke in which he rover believed. With such a man you might fave to be wary in case he shot you in the ‘ack, but you could be sure at Tealt that he Wwouid always be a genuine human being, in hharmony withthe reBt of humanity. But with @ modern person you do not know where you Gre There is nothing purposeful or deliberate ‘bout any of his adtions. One does not know ‘whether his words are serious or whether one Thowld adopt 4 humorous manner towards fim, whether one is expoded to shake hands ils him or give him a black eye. If Dick Tur pin robs a Stagecoach, one can be sure that he Wants to rob the Bagecoach and nothing more. With a modern person it might be a joke in Fancy-dress, or a “protett again the uni- verse", or anything else. He Is aghoSt, « ‘Shadow. His goul has shrunk to atny pobat of Tight amidit acres ‘of suffocating darkness. Great happiness and great misery are alike forbidden to hiat—he cannot be said to live at fil, That is why if one dressed him in proper lothes and’ taught him proper behaviour, there would Bull be something missing. Tt is fat our eétions which are important, but the Spisit behind them, ‘The whole pivot of the modern age is awry, and that is why i will be fo diicult to amend, because the problem is much subtler than merely one of incorre&t be ‘Page 164 The Gnglfy Magayine Boluane Bolume e The Engl Magazine ‘age i jour The problem la oss oFlnnocence, oid. not formerly possess and which it ma SscisesSrTIRTEN FT ee ITED TS eon Tc eD ries [where ne oar pt wnat nsonce? tow aoe lays ready taste ha Fon i ee arse Sou son eevreotline maShae 2 ‘As Dr. Johnson remarked of poetry:—It is easier to say what it is not” The opposite of Tnocence we shall call, For the sake of refer tence, Cynicism. Cynicism is the true spirit of Satan, and the present age is without doubt five over for a large part tothe devil. For itis 'miftake to think that the devil is majeftc find awe-inspiring, as he i portrayed in popu Tar legend—rather he is small and petty and ppusilsnimous. His arsenal is mockery and Trreverence, scoffine and negation, attempting to Bteal the life and beauty from all things, sneering at anything bette than himself. He ‘cannot himself create anything—he can only ‘iftort what has been created by Heaven. tn adh the original meaning of the word diaholos ‘apparently something like ‘mud-slinger. It is eay to see how the present age is, by this eriterion, truly" diabolical” ‘But who will define Innocence? Innocence is the possession of a secret in- omitable chamber in the depths of one's soul, to which no one else has access, and to which fone can retire if attacked by the vulgarity of the world, knowing that in this room there is fenough Strength and security o defeat any ot ‘ard foes. For what can harm us, if we have an inextinguishable bonfire to warm us no mailer what Ardic Storms are hurling themselves ‘againit the windows? How can we be over- Uhrovn, iF at Uhe slightolt hint of trouble we can withdraw into ourselves hike a tortoise, fand there live in entire self-sufficiency? Innocence is a good-natured respeSl ea iness to encounter goodness wherever it may ‘be found in the world I is continually looking ‘out for beauty and adventure and excitement, even in places one would not expedt to find them. The Cynic has a closed, suspicions, ‘neering determination not to be caught. out ‘dmiring anything. He Keeps the doors of his foul tightly bolted, and even were an Angel to Knock he mould refuse to admit her unless she ould be diftorted to Bt into his Favourite philo- sophie sytem. He looks for the worft in what= fever he meets, s0 that he may drag it down to his own level. The saying, “There's bound to bbe a. perfeétiy simple explanation for i ‘means’ in foot “I refuse to accept anything ‘whichis above my underStanding™ Innocence, ver intent on self-improvement, is delight= ‘ed to find anything better than itself. It looks for the bett in everything for a quality which it 2 thing is good unless proven otherwise. Innocence is able to treat everything seri- ously and on ite own terms. The modern world, ‘hich takes pride in its promotion of tolerance, Js the mot enclosed age in hitory, because ‘cannot comprehend the possibility that. any- thing outside t may be true. Anything unusual ‘met with mockery, like children laughing at the attire of an Arabian prince. Anything with fs sense of dignity, which is in earneft and ‘oes not present ieelf as a joke is reviled with bad-tempered bitterness. We have heard the Pre-Raphaelite painters derided by a modern Commentator because they "took themselves fo seriously,” because their produélions ere ‘hen over-Btylised and yet are not intended in frony. Indeed, many paintings of the Pre- Raphoelites, are considerably far from being great works of art—and yet their very EernoStnese is in iteelf a saving grace, for It hows that they were aiming sta point of perfestion far beyond the limits of their craft nd if they did not reach it, at leat they Schieved a faint reflection of ii. “in the long fun," wrote Thoreau, ""men hit only what they ti at Therefore tho’ they should fail imme Giately, they had better” aim at something high.” But to reftrid one’s Tabour to the pro=

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