Modernist Magazines and Digital Humanities

Created as a "miscelleny", literary magazine The Owl addresses no particular sect or movement of Modernism, nor does it claim to take any political view. The contents of each of its three issues are organized in a relatively similar fashion: the first half generally contained a great deal of poetry, followed by a story, and a play of sorts. The issues are dispersed with illustrations, some with handwritten poetry or fables written out beneath them. The Owl possesses a sense of imagery that is somewhat cartoonish and imaginative. The illustrations seem to observe people in an exaggerrated, but genuine state, almost emphasizing the world and life as would be observed by a child, or youth. These articles contain flowery, loopy typescript that appears to be handwritten, and pages are headed with small drawings of paper scrolls and flourishes. Each issue displays the written names of the authors therein on the cover, beneath a bold illustration of an Owl, all possessing strong dark lines that mimic the writing of the contents, and each contains various portraits of people in an unusual, enlivened state. Careless Lady, in the May 1915 edition, as well as Vain Man, in the October 1919 issue, both contain illustrations of high spirited people, acting in a childlike sense; in addition, both pictures are followed by a short, almost Mother Goose type rhyme about these adults acting in an enigmatic, youthful fashion. The poetry of the magazine has a tendency to discuss light hearted topics such as nature, and love. A sense of freedom, happiness, and a certain ignorance of sadness is prominent throughout. The magazine almost seems geared towards forgetting, and holding life and carelessness to a high standard, much obliged by the illustrative titles and covers of the text throughout The Owl.

I found two instances in Dana of advertisements that use the tactic of convincing the reader their product is needed for a certain lifestyle. These are early forms of the advertising that became so popular in 1950s America and created the belief that living the American Dream meant owning certain things.

The first advertisement found in Dana Vol. 1, No. 1 page 33, is from a publishing company. The headline proclaims, "Great Novels That People Must Read." It creates an interesting statement, especially since it is in a literary magazine. One would hope that the editors of Dana would not publish an advertisement that they did not somewhat agree with. However, because this list was compiled not by the editors of Dana but by the people who stand to make money if the books are purchased, the whole thing seems a bit disingenuous. Also, not one of the books mentioned are classics and only Eugene Lee-Hamilton has a Wikipedia page.

The second advertisement appears in Dana Vol.1, No. 2 on page 65. This small advertisement in the center of the page is titled, “In the March of Civilization.” The ad uses a technique that Apple has mastered with its “Mac vs. PC” commercials: “Our product is the hip young product and the other is for older people.” The ad is for curled hair mattresses and begins by stating, “Some years ago our grandmothers prided themselves on their ample feather beds…” This advertisement is the exact kind of advertising that interrupts our favorite television shows today. The ads say: “In order to be young, civilized and fit in you should own this product.”

The typography in advertisements in The New Age is consistent with that used for the magazine's articles.  There are a few exceptions for products like Ruskin Fabrics and Fry Cocoa, where logos appear to disrupt the overall text-heavy look of the magazine itself, but even within these advertisements, the actual substantive (textual) portion of the ad matches the magazine's typeface.  The result is a certain subjugation of the advertisement: by forcing the ads for certain products to conform to the magazine's own aesthetic, the importance of the ad becomes relative to the magazine's content.

On another note, the ads are clearly written to cater to readers of The New Age, by appealing to their assumed "superiority" of intellect/interests.  An ad for Hovis Bread proclaims that the product is "NOT an ordinary bread, but a highly specialized article," and Fry's Cocoa purports to be "real food" which promotes "a clear brain and steady nerves."  An ostensible attempt to lessen the cheapening necessity/effect of advertisements, it's as if the ads in The New Age aren't proper ads so much as they are tasteful suggestions for a discerning reader/consumer.  Ads for other publications like The Daily News appeal outright to the oppositional groups presumed to be reading the magazine: in one ad, a brief blurb against the degenerate sport of horse-racing/betting is titled "A Woman's Question" and takes up nearly 3/4 of the ad itself; the title of the magazine appears almost as an afterthought.