| Ezra Pound, Wyndham Lewis, and Radical Modernism Contributor(s): Sherry, Vincent (Author) |
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ISBN: 0195076931 ISBN-13: 9780195076936 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $68.31 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: February 1993 Annotation: Ezra Pound and Wyndham Lewis developed a highly experimental art in verse, prose, and paint; they were attracted simultaneously to political programs remarkably backward its outlook - the autocracies of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. That paradox, central to the problematic achievement of Anglo-American modernism, is freshly addressed in this study. Sherry examines the influence of music and painting on literature, presents original research on European intellectual history, and proposes a new understanding of ideology as a force in the literary imagination. Following the example of continental ideologues like Julien Benda and Georges Sorel, the English modernists used the material of aesthetic experience to prove truths of human nature, making art the basis for social values and recomendations. This sensibility enriches their work, shaping the varied textures of Pound's Cantos and the complex designs of Lewis's painting and fiction, but their mastery of avant-garde techniques endorses the authority of an antique state. Sherry returns their "totalitarian synthesis" of art and politics to its originating moment, following its trajectory from 1910 to the eve of World War II. Skillfully relating aesthetic practice to political precepts, Sherry's study recovers a European tradition previously unrecognized by scholars, illustrating its profound intfluence on English modernism. Ezra Pound, Wyndham Lewis, and Radical Modernism will inform readers in the fields of modern British and American literature, modern intellectual history, modern art history, and political science. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | American - General - Political Science | Political Ideologies - Radicalism - Literary Criticism | English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh |
| Dewey: 810.935 |
| LCCN: 92017258 |
| Physical Information: 0.69" H x 6.37" W x 9.57" (1.36 lbs) 240 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Ezra Pound and Wyndham Lewis developed a highly experimental art; they were attracted simultaneously to political programs remarkably backward in outlook--the autocracies of Fascist Italy and Germany. That paradox, central to the problematic achievement of Anglo-American modernism, is freshly addressed in this study. Here Sherry examines the influence of music and painting on literature, presents original research on European intellectual history, and proposes a new understanding of ideology as a force in the literary imagination. Following the example of continental ideologues, the English modernists use the material of aesthetic experience to prove truths of human nature, making art the basis for social values and recommendations. This sensibility enriches their work, shaping the varied textures of Pound's Cantos and the complex designs of Lewis's painting and fiction, but their mastery of avant-garde techniques endorses the authority of an antique state. Sherry returns their totalitarian synthesis of art and politics to its originating moment, following its trajectory from 1910 to the eve of World War II. |