Modernist Magazines and Digital Humanities

     Daniela Perez, Elon Shore, MaryAnne Guzman

     Wheels is a poetry journal that served as a modernist counterblast to Georgian poetry that showcases the talents of the Sitwells, an English aristocratic family. Wheels, edited by Edith Sitwell, was published annually from 1916 to 1921. Most of the work belonged to the Sitwell siblings: Edith, Osbert, and Sachervell. It also featured work by other poets such as Aldous Huxley, Nancy Cunard, and Iris Tree. Their unique yet cohesive poetic styles represented the “wheel” the Sitwells were trying to illustrate. The journal contains radical poems that used imagery, freestyle verse, and political views that are represented through the poetry, illustrations, layouts, and journal reviews.

     The imagery used captured the essence of the objects described, which were connected to other parts of life. In the beginning, the imagery was tragic. The poets conveyed grave and dark emotions. Other imagery used described nature and how people worked. Upon its initial publication, Wheels concentrated on introducing this imaginative style of poetry to the world by the title they were giving the journal.

     The essence of how they were trying to exemplify imagery is best illustrated in the name of the journal. Wheels is chosen as a symbol of their ideology that demonstrates how everything in the world is connected through the circular image. By it, the journal ultimately creates a poetry genre described as “Sitwells” that contain imagery as an icon. It did not however, have the impact of other poetry movements like the Imagists or other more well-known, Modern movements. It was successful, however, in connecting every part of society together in a representation of the wheel. To ensure the readers did not miss what was trying to be created, the representation of the wheel image is in the beginning page of each issue.

     The poems in the first issue lay the foundation for the entire genre. The first poem, “Wheels” by Nancy Cunard, uses images to bring many different parts of society together with the free-verse style. The poem begins,

“I sometimes think that all our thoughts are wheels
Rolling forever through the painted world,
Moved by the cunning of a thousand clowns
Dressed paper-wise, with blatant rounded masks,
That take their multi-coloured caravans
From place to place, and act and leap and sing,
Catching the spinning hoops when cymbals clash.” (pg 1)

Cunard emphasizes the circular aspects of the world. She brings in many types of thoughts that go in many different directions. This free-verse style is seen throughout the many Wheels journals. The poem emphasizes how the wheel is wrapped together by the fate of “act”, “leap”, and “sing.” The wheel symbol here introduces the world to a connecting wheel as seen in the forthcoming issue.

     The theme in volume one, free-verse style, demonstrates how the poets were fighting against the rigid style of Georgian/Victorian poetry. For supporting, writing, and publishing this style, Edith Sitwell has been referred to by critics as the “Mother of the Free Verse;” poetry that creates its own format. In the free-style Wheels publishes, nouns are free and stand alone in a sentence or are set with other words to form a complete idea. This open-ended style of poetry radiates radicalism and creativity.

     The first two issues of Wheels have covers that express the cyclical aesthetic of the time, while the third and fourth issues deal with the political climate, particularly the economy and warfare.

     “Optimism,” a poem by Iris Tree for example, discusses the economic woes of the time, “What will happen to the starving, and the rebel run from drilling,/ Cowardly, afraid of fighting, and the child who stole a shilling ?/ They shall go to prison black/ With a striped shirt on the back” (pg 61).  The images used in this line are filled with political implications. The boy stealing shows the reader that the poet wants them to look at the poverty and social class structure of the past.
 
     The third issue of Wheels is adorned with the Sky Pilot by Vorticist Lawerence Atkinson. This picture features bold lines and colors that can be considered reflective of the warring climate in 1918. In the fourth issue, Sitwell’s dedication to fallen soldier and celebrated war poet, Wilfred Owen, reflects the somber mood of this period.  The poems found in the issues are as dramatic and bold as the cover illustrations. The bibliographic code of the journals at this time was relative to the atmosphere in England.   For example, the poetry that appears in the fourth issue coincides with the illustrations regarding the war provided by William Moore. Osbert Sitwell’s poem featured Moore’s Corpse Day July 19, 1919 illustration.  Ironically, the date is highly relevant to the poem because on this date London was holding peace celebrations to acknowledge the end of the war.  The poem describes the actual violent state of England through metaphorical visions of Christ from heaven.  This issue also features William Moore’s radical illustration Gun Drill, dark and militant images that demonstrate violence and war. 

     The consistent layout of Wheels has it that the table of contents lists each author and the title of his/her poems. The entire font remains consistent throughout each issue and poem.  This appearance promotes the issues as a whole anthology rather than poems viewed in isolation.  Another consistent trend of the anthology is that the Sitwell family is featured in every issue.  Their writings consisted of their perspectives on war, and a satirical view of English society, namely rejecting the Georgian poetry that presided during this time and their childhood. Lastly, Sitwell prints reviews by different presses, such as The New Age, the Observer, and the Times that critique the works in the journal. According to one review by the Observer, the anthology is “defiant and gloomy, yet clever and stimulating.”  In the same issue, Sitwell publishes the harsh criticism of the Pioneer where they describe the young writers’ work as boring and how they should not be taken seriously by anyone. 
 
     Due to its radical style of poetry, Wheels had an important role in this time even though it was short lived. While hard to find, original digitized copies can be found at the University of Toronto mainly St. Michaels College, University of California at Berkley, and the Scarborough Mansion in Yorkshire England (the former residence of the Sitwells). Wheels was an avenue for many poets to express their ideas and their new style of writing.

 

Interesting note: As part of our research, Miriam emailed Robert Scholes to ask a few questions about Le Petit Journal de Refusees. He in turn directed us to Brad Evans, an associate professor at Rutgers who specializes in nineteenth and early twentieth-century American literature.  We wanted to share his response with all of you since it confirms many of the suppositions we made in our discussion of the journal last week. Email exchange between Cecilia and Brad Evans     The Elusive Burgess and his Le Petit Journal des Refusees  

Publisher and Editor: James Marrion, psuedonym for Gelett Burgess. Published: Ran for only one issue, Summer 1896. Published in San Fransisco, CA Held Copies: Only two known copies in existence. Both copies are in the Princeton Univeristy Library.   

 

            Part One:  “Burgess 101 and his Contributions to Dada and Surrealism”   By Cecilia G. Robles and Miriam L.Wallach  

 

In 1896, a rather short and obscure journal entitled Le Petit Journal des Refusees was published in San Francisco, California by a man named Gelett Burgess. Burgess, whose name was generally associated with humorous, satirical writing, teamed up with Porter Garnett, to produce this one-issued journal. Garnett, like Burgess, was classified as one of the Bohemian writers of San Francisco, was also the assistant curator of the Bankcroft Library from 1907-1912. Both men, well established, came together to produce this journal, of which little is known for sure, but much is supposed.

Burgess began his literary career in 1894 in San Francisco as associate editor of The Wave.   While the cover of Les Petit Journal credits James Marrion 2nd as editor of the journal, Mr. Marrion did not in fact exist. Burgess did not sign his name to the journal, although hints to his identity are woven through the articles. Burgess, working by himself and not with Garnett, was also the editor of The Lark, whose publication overlapped with that of Le Petit Journal. The Lark was printed between1895-1897 and Burgess’s name can be clearly found on some covers and often within texts as well. He took open credit for The Lark while with Les Petit, he did not, using a pseudonym on the cover while alluding to himself and his work in other sections of the text.   The Lark also contained an illustrated version of his famous poem “Purple Cow” in its first edition and while all three periodicals were considered radical departures from conventional magazines, it was The Lark that gained him considerable notoriety. Often associated with his non-sensical writing, his pattern of rhyme and his manuals for writing rhyme, including his Goop series, are considered children’s literary classics. 

 

It is unclear why Burgess did not sign the one issue of Les Petit Journal that was produced.   The journal seems to be dedicated to publishing the voices of ignored and ‘refused’ women, although the names of the women to whom the articles are accredited are barely known or again, unknown because they did not exist. Research shows that there was a real Nellie Hethington, although her married name was not Ford – it was Halbmaier – and her connection to Burgess could not be determined. There are no easily discernable traces of Alisse Rainbird or of Florence Lundberg either, for example.    The Modern Journals Project (MJP) claims that all of the work in this journal seems to be that of one person, which would therefore substantiate the inability to identify these women as authors or writers of their time and further lead one to assume that Burgess (or Marrion, as the case may be) penned all of the articles in the journal.

 

At first glance, even before actually reading an entry, Le Petit Journal de Refusees provides many opportunities to intrigue and peak the interest of any reader. The many facets of the journal that pop out begin with the illustrations and the general shape of the journal itself. The use of whimsical art throughout and bordering every page, the variety in size and application of the font, even the use of outmoded wallpaper that has been cut trapezoidally, all diverge from the common printing practices of the time. Also quite remarkable is the nonsensical writing, both as actual pieces of literature and within the illustrations, deviate from the highly academic and often lofty writing that was being published in small journals of the time.

In comparing the art and illustrations of both Les Petit Journal and The Lark, there are definite stylistic similarities that would also lead one to believe that Burgess was also Marrion. The font styles are similar and so are the curviness of the lines and the feeling of each illustration. Without being an art historian or a curator, a simple study of both illustrations could allow one to deduce that they were both drawn and written by the same hand.

 

Dada was a cultural movement of artists and writers that looked to ridicule contemporary culture and traditional art forms. It was a reaction toward a morally corrupt society that was capable of creating WWI. It was a nihilistic movement that primarily involved the visual arts, literature, theater, and graphic design. The movement produced art objects in unconventional forms that were produced by unconventional methods.

Likewise, Surrealism sought to create the element of surprise through unexpected juxtapositions and the use of non-sequitor. This was accomplished through the use of conversational and literary devices that were absurd to the point of being humorous and confusing. The goal of Surrealism was to transform human experience by freeing people from the restrictive customs and structures of society.

 

The poem “Spring” is one of the many examples of how Burgess’s work plays with the ideas of Dada and Surrealism. While the subject of the poem is traditional, the execution of the subject matter is not. The lines do not follow a conventional pattern or form. In fact, the poem looks as if it is being edited in print. In this, Burgess implements typographical freedom. He chooses not to prescribe to traditional formatting.   The irony in the illustrations perhaps lies in that while the poem speaks lyrically of green fields, buttercups, and cows, the illustration of alley cats climbing around crowded buildings in an urban setting is hinted at in the background.

 

 

Another example in the publication is “Our Clubbing List – refused by The Complete Alphabet of Freaks.” In this section, Burgess takes a very traditional practice used to help children learn the alphabet, and creates a very humorous, and at times scathing, list. He makes reference to fellow writers, artists, and publishers, sometimes in a complementary way, “B is for [Aubrey] Beardsley, this idol supreme. Whose drawings are not half so bad as they, seem”. Others are more scathing, “I am an Idiot, awful result of reading the rot of the Yellow Book cult” and “O is for Oblivion – ultimate fate Of most magazines, published of late”.

 

 

The illustrations on these four pages vary from page to page but all have a theme of interconnectedness. The first page of “The Clubbing List” features Burgess’s ‘Goops’ which were to become his trademark illustration.    

As can be seen from these two examples, Burgess’s ventures into nonsense verse and cartoonesque illustrations were an attempt to refute literary realism through the affirmation of imaginative absurdity.  In another twenty years, this would become the goal of Dadaism and then Surrealism as modernist movement.

 

Part Two: “A Method to His Madness? Burgess’s Possible Intentions” By Charlene Nicholson

 

 

Burgess’s new and unorthodox style of presenting his ideologies in Le Petit Journal des Refusees shows his radical nature as well as his determination to prove to those who have rejected the creativity of his work that there was an audience awaiting literature and art of an extraordinary nature. Johanna Drucker believes that Burgess’s journal has value because she is able to see “the relationship between various vanguard ideologies and the physical characteristics” of his work (Art Journal, Vol.3 p 95). She further contends that the work is “visually striking (the sinewy lines of its imitation Beardsley drawings) with innovative patterns-though the thrust of its literary jabs may be blunted by time or obscured, the volume functions as a thing unto itself, replete and redolent with spirit, energy, and ideas (96). His literary jabs are still biting and his absurd innovations still leave his readers awed.

 

Ephemeral bibelot is the name given to Le Petit Journal des Refusees. The bibelots, according to F.W. Faxon in Bibliography of Modern Chap-Books, “own their origin to probably the Chap-Books, a little semi-monthly magazine which was born in Cambridge on May 15, 1894” (p 3). These were in great demand and the collectors were willing to pay much more than the original price once they could get the copies to the public. This ushered in the proliferation of “little magazines” and paved the way for young writers to present readers with readings, which will allow them to escape from the seriousness of the more established magazines. Many of these bibelots might have been written by writers who felt they had works of aesthetic value but they were not known and therefore they were not accepted. Faxon supposed that there might be a large waiting public for the new writers since the author of the established magazines might not reach this readership probably because the author’s manuscript was rejected or because the readership which he targeted did not subscribe to those older and more recognized monthlies and quarterlies [p5]. Even though many of the Chap-Books were short lived they had an interesting audience during their existence. Due to the highly intellectual style of expression in this journal one can conclude that the readership was of “a particular kind of aesthetic sensibility and expression” (Faxon, 20).

 

Le Petit Journal des Refuses was born in San Francisco and like many others it seemed to have been only in circulation in that small sphere. I also think it proved itself well as a note worthy work for in collaboration with others, Burgess was able to publish a journal which displayed only works which according to him were refused a place in the major magazines. It is ironic that he is able to mock those who felt he and his work were not of their high standard and the same work proved them otherwise as it gained recognition and acclamation. The readership appears to be economically stable since they craved the bibelots and would pay much more than the actual cost. Yet these journals were not close to the number of established journals and magazines sold. This proved that people were hungering for writings with aesthetic values as well as writings, which could give them some humor such as Le Petit Journal des Refusees with its satire. Burgess also used this journal to express a major concern of his time and that was the issue with women writers and how they were not being acknowledged.

 

In Conclusion…

While journals are not popular medium today, there would have been a place for Burgess’s satirical wit in modern culture had he written for a magazine, wrote his own column or been a regular commentator on a late night talk show.   It is interesting, however, that he seems to have been so popular in his day that he could produce one single issue of a journal at the time when he was already producing another successful journal, clearly confident that his fans and readership would appreciate it and make the purchase. Writing under a pseudonym also added to the journal’s intrigue and witty nature. Adorned with detailed illustrations, the mere format of Le Petit Journal framed to its whimsical nature, making it fun to read, to hold, to simply look through and to find Burgess’s hidden references to himself.   The single issue of this journal clearly had a purpose – like one episode of a beloved sitcom that is trying to ‘make a point,’ or an editorial that deviates from its standard format to deliver a particular message, although the writer’s intentions are not all apparent or clear. Regardless, Burgess and Le Petit Journal succeeded in one of its goal – to allow readers to read more than what was simply the printed word on the page but instead, to immerse them in what would be the joyful, provocative and intriguing experience of his sixteen page journal. 

Rehana Afzal, Hilda Ronquillo, Eli Shoshani

           

       Tyro (1921-22) was Wyndham Lewis's post-war attempt to reincarnate Blast and reignite conversation about avant-garde ideals for a London audience.  The editor faced a number of obstacles in pulling off this second-act: 1. Ezra Pound, notable contributor to Blast, had become the European Editor of The Little Review 2. There was a declining interest in the avant-garde in London  3. Mainstay contributors to Blast, T.E. Hulme and Gaudier-Brzeska, had died in WWI. (Lewis himself had served in the Great War, and considered it a monumental waste of time, fueling his desire to return to his former productivity.)                                                      

          With its cover page, Tyro positions itself as a Review Of The Arts Of Painting Sculpture And Design (note the caption’s lack of punctuation and the cover's sans serif type of varying sizes, similar to that of Blast's). Launched in conjunction with Wyndham Lewis’s first major solo art exhibit, “Tyros and Portraits,” it was a publication by artists for artists--and not to be understood except by an artist.  Pound (of all people!) chided Lewis for this elitist approach.  Lewis needed to attract readers, not rely on a select coterie.  Otherwise "we may regard our work as a private luxury, having no aims but our own pleasure.  = You can't expect people to pay you for enjoying yourself," Pound wrote in a letter to Lewis.    

            Notable Tyro contributors were T.S. Eliot and Wyndham Lewis whose articles open the magazine prominently.  Other contributors largely consisted of members of the Rebel Arts Center and Group X.   Lewis sent out a rallying call "to those painters for whom 'painting' signifies not a lucrative or sentimental calling, but a constant and perpetually renewed effort” (1:2) (i.e. I can't pay you guys). 

            

    Publisher Information:

THE EGOIST PRESS, *(aptly named) 2, ROBERT STREET, ADELPH1. TO BE PRODUCED AT INTERVALS OF TWO OR THREE MONTHS. *(signalling its tentative nature)

PUBLISHED AT 1s. 6d, subscription for 4 numbers, 6s. 6d, with postage. *(only two issues were actually published in total)

Printed by Bradley & Son, Ltd., Little Crown Yard, Mill Lane,Reading.

 

                Tyro's most immediate problem was financial.  Lewis claimed he would use his inheritance money to split the funding costs with contributing author Sidney Schiff (who agreed to back the paper anonymously so that contributors wouldn't expect to be paid).  However, citing financial difficulties, Lewis reneged on his promise; but Tyro was published regardless.    

            The periodical's financial difficulties are reflected in direct appeals to readers. Originally, Lewis claimed that the periodical would be produced at intervals of two to three months, but in the opening note admitted the appearance of the Tyro will be "spasmodic" (1:2). Since they had expanded the journal (the second issue was 6 times as long as the first--made possible by ads, which were completely absent from Issue #1) but cut down the number of issues, Lewis wrote that in good faith the terms of subscription should be considered fulfilled (2:3) with fewer issues.

            On a basic level, Tyro was a doomed enterprise because the tyros did not connect with their audience.  What is a tyro?  The tyro ('tiro' in Medieval Latin: 'beginning soldier'/'recruit') was a symbol of an uncertain post-war society composed of novices, their teeth jutting out in a barbaric, tentative smile.  They were not only esoteric but off-putting.  Ironically, Pound whose highbrow work had been viciously mocked, attempted to steer Wyndham Lewis in a mainstream direction.  Lewis seemed to grow aware that the tyros were alienating readership. Indeed, Lewis promises the appearance of ten tyros in the following issue, but no tyros appear other than the one on the cover. 

Eventually, Lewis himself admitted that the Tyros "were not easy to like."

            Compare the two tyros on the covers: the Tyro of issue #2 is marginalized, reduced, almost boxed out of existence, where the first issue's Tyro had confrontationally leered out at the title.  The second issue now takes on a more subdued and less polemical tone, but too late to win over the public.

        

            After two issues, Lewis took 600 copies on a trip to Paris and gave an inscribed copy to James Joyce in an effort to to pump life into Tyro but neither tactic helped save the publication.  Lewis acknowledged defeat, admitting in Tyro 2 that the magazine hadn't changed much in the art world.  It had failed to reconstitute a dialogue about art and innovation for the post-war era.  The periodical folded by default, with Lewis never publishing another issue. 

            Even afterwards, Lewis chose to "go down with his ship," stubbornly remaining commited to an elitist view promulgated by Blast.  He further isolated himself and wrote critically of his contributors to Tyro--those authors like Schiff who had written for free, and even provided financing!    

 

 Tyro: Attitudes, Politics, Aesthetics

In examining The Tyro, one can immediately sense the difference between this periodical and that of The New Age. Wyndham Lewis has sought to make a favorable argument towards Abstract Art. The overall manifestos are not that of critical begrudging men seeking to demean anything “modern”. Rather, the articles and reviews (save for a surprisingly cynical T.S Elliot) are positive, and painstakingly try to explain why the new art movement should be valued and acknowledged.                                                                                                           

The name Tyro (a beginner or learner in anything; one who has mastered the rudiments only of any branch or knowledge) may be a play against the way Wyndham approaches his ideals of Art appreciation. He attacks any notion that Abstract art is elementary and without aesthetic, and his contributors sing his praises (and that of fellow artists) as well.

In Issue 1 (there were only two issues), there is a sufficient amount of art supplements which are considered modern. Besides the Tyros, which Wyndham presents with a brief history and a tongue in cheek introduction, there are sketchings and drawings by a variety of artists including Wyndham himself. In fact, as the second issue immerses Wyndham is responsible for the bulk of the artwork, accompanied with a few massive essays as well.

The political climate in this issue is one of aggression, both towards the elitist attitude of the English, and organized religion as well. There is one fascinating manifesto by Raymond Drey who speaks of “Emotional Aesthetics” and its role in the art world.  Drey states, “We must consider how far emotion enters at all into the making of works of art”. (Drey 10)   He infers that art that is seen as elementary is done so because it appears to be created out of an impulsive and irrational moment; free from structure. Nevertheless, he maintains that this method does not render an artist without talent. Drey states: “Work that is done in a very short space of time may be the cumulative result of the experience of years…Every fine work of art pre-supposes a period of contemplation…the slowness or rapidity with which the idea is developed to its ultimate form depends on the temperament of the particular artist.” (10)

Unlike the mixed reviews of multiple patrons in The New Age, Wyndham presents firm supporters who share his vision and ideas.

Issue 2, was a great deal denser and included many more works of art displaying everything from Cubist-like drawings to Dobson’s sculptures. I was concerned more with the massive amount of text explaining the movement of modern art and its colossal relevance to art history.

Wyndham, (who not surprisingly includes many of his own works) defends in great detail the “standards of modern art”. Wyndham says “suppose we say that Vorticism and Cubism is at an end. What do you expect is going to be there in its place?”

In other words, there have been great works before this movement and there will be great works after it, so to state that photographic like paintings are the only way to self expression, would be to place Art in a labeled criteria which is impossible.

Raymond Drey who also writes for the second issue says: “Abstract pictorial art is only the invention of our own time in the sense that never in the past has painting depended solely on the appeal of pure form.”

Wyndham, in yet another lengthy manifesto (this time on plastic art) compares art to philosophy because of all the different degrees of arguments that have arisen because of it. Also because like philosophy, rather than trying to ascertain an answer, philosophers and artists alike are more concerned with the question or piece at hand and the discussions that stem from it. The constant attempts to rate art based on method infuriate Wyndham, he states: “In art there are no laws, as there are in science. There is the general law to sharpen your taste and intelligence in every way you can.” He speaks of the future of art as grim, if society continues to view the art world through traditional lenses.

In conclusion Wyndham’s arrangement, in terms of aesthetics, is far more pleasing than previous periodicals reviewed. His focus and intent to persuade the masses is evident. As the editor, clearly his editorial policies would serve to express and deliver his ideas which would make it somewhat bias, yet less hypocritical (in my opinion) than The New Age, which seemed like closet conservatives wearing progressive masks.

 

Tyro in Context

In understanding the importance of the “The Tyro” it was important to read about the specific time frame. I picked the first issue, which appeared in 1921. In so doing, I was able to analyze the works present within the journal from a perspective very much similar to the analysis of Rayonnism. The journal was very unique as it concerned itself mainly with art and painting. Unlike the “New Age Journal,” which was quite substantial and methodical in its presentation, “The Tyro” was a collective presentation of paintings, poems, and satires although its modalities of expression and it originated in London.

The majority of the journal was written by Wyndham Lewis, a major part of the Vorticist movement, which originated in London after the era of cubism. This new style of art, which lasted relatively short period of time was very much similar to Rayonnism, where it tried to externalize the emotions, feelings, perceptions, and realities of the mechanistic society through painting. The movement had a great influence on the magazine, which appeared years after the movement had ceased to be prominent. The first issue contained a series of poems, and included some great paintings, which upon examination fully reify the stances of the movement in discussion. In addressing the newness or the avant-garde nature of the magazine, the Tyro concerned itself with elemental, the raw essence of art, which shifted after World War I as various paradigms within the artistic world saw a renaissance while others died down. Some of the highlights include Cubism, Rayonnism, and Dadaism.

The magazine came at a time of prosperity in the U.S., as historically the 1920s were referred to as the roaring twenties, it was a period of post- war growth and that greatly impacted how the public perceived the magazine and how the magazine chose to sustain itself. The magazine did not go past two issues as Lewis noted that it would see increases in the number of volumes based directly on the perception and need for more input.

I specifically focused on the painting on page 5, as that concerned itself with the evolution of the industrial man. Somehow, the look of sheer greed on the man’s face personifies the roaring twenties, as many individuals amassed a great deal of profit during that decade. However, the face also goes along with the changes brought forth by the industrial revolution where it represents the rise of the entrepreneur. In a similar vein, the painting on page 7 shows two men meeting one another. In this case also there is a connection between the men. Artistically the style of both men is the same, however, these caricatures of real individuals really offer a new way to see how individuals interacted with one another. These two paintings can be seen as a way to represent the tyros during this great period of change. As the movement concerned itself with gauging the impact of the industrial revolution and the WWI, it focused on the elementals, the avant-garde. The paintings were not subtle, as seen through the aforementioned analysis, but they were very much the product of social, political, and economical forces which exerted a great deal of influence on the artist.

Lewis’s painting of a woman seating at a table (pg. 11) sheds light on another facet of society. Where the woman looks perfectly healthy, here eyes are not there. It seems as if this could be related to the women’s suffrage movement, as even after the historic right to vote, women were still oppressed in society due to the existence and entrenched beliefs in socio-political, religious and economic norms. Also, the woman’s features are greatly exaggerated and thus appear to be animated. The over all effect is that it is very difficult to tell how the women sees herself or society, because she does not have eye sight. Also, the women can be a caricature of lower class immigrant women, but lacked financial means of self-advancement.

The first issue of the magazine did not focus on a great deal of issues; it just addressed the realm of artistic expression as Lewis himself stated in the introduction, “…The object of this paper- to be a rallying point for those painters, or persons interested in this country…” (pg. 2). Currently, the journal can be accessed at the following locations:      

National Library of Australia http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMM04612.html- Cornell Library

Project Muse- http://muse.jhu.edu/

These sources continue to draw the attention of those interested in the growth of modernism and change in the art movement.

 *Note: If you have a hankering to get your hands on a copy of The Tyro in book format, it is available in many libraries such as NYPL, Cornell, Wesleyan, Boston U., Harvard, Suny Buffalo, and Oxford if you are ever in the neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

Coterie was founded by Chaman Lall, an Oxford University student who also served as editor from the magazine’s inception in 1919 until 1921 when co-founder Russell Green inherited the post.  Having published only five issues over a two and a half year span, Coterie assumes a place amongst a plethora of other early modern magazines whose lifespan was as short as their impact was great.  Notwithstanding, a most superficial view of Coterie will attest to a rather pronounced distinction between that magazine and its historical counterparts.

     Published in its entirety in London by Hendersons, Coterie prided itself in being a magazine that existed with the sole intent of collecting and disseminating purely creative works.  Unlike other little magazines of the period that sought to promulgate certain socio-political views, Coterie assumed an apolitical stance, asserting itself as an outlet for post-World War I and avant-garde poetry and art, especially the works of young, budding writers and artists.  Proof of the magazine’s adherence to this policy lies in the absence of editorials (save in the very last issue) and the arrangement of poems not by like political assertions, but by author.  The prominence of the poetry is highlighted in the stark presentation of a single artist's work on the page, void of any juxtaposition between other writings and artwork.  In this way, the reader confronts each work as an individual entity rather than as a representation of a political or aesthetic ideal. 

Indeed, Coterie represented no one school of thought, but opted to publish poetry and visual artistry that oftentimes were of opposing persuasions.  Examples of this are the magazine’s publication of both abstract and representational art and the inclusion of novice, traditional, and avant-garde materials, sometimes even placed alongside each other.  Additionally, in stark contrast to other turn-of-the-century periodicals that heavily relied on commercial advertisements for survival (a fact that might have determined to some extent who and what they published), Coterie included ads only from “The Bomb Shop,” the magazine’s primary distributor in London.  Furthermore, such advertisements are minimal and are completely absent from the first two issues.  As a result of this refusal to allow Coterie to become laden with commercialist motivations, contributors to the magazine often went unpaid.  Apparently, having one’s work appear in the periodical sufficed as compensation.

Circulation was relatively small, peaking at 1000 for select issues.  It is logical to say that the readership was elite (more so in selectivity than in intellectual acuity), a fact that fails to surprise when one considers the willingness of the magazine’s founder to accept the title, “Coterie,” at the time a term that had come to be associated with artistic snobbery.  In spite of its moderate circulation in London, Coterie enjoyed transatlantic status, gaining both readership and an editorial staff in the United States by the publication of its third issue in December 1919.  Reproduced copies of Coterie can be found in distinguished university libraries across the United States, including those of the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University.  Ironically, none of the searches completed for this paper found copies (original or otherwise) in the United Kingdom.

Tanya Palmer

 

I noted in general that the magazine changes as the issues progress. The first two issues do not contain any mention of the general editors or editorial staff. However, by the third issue there is mention of the staff, and of a general board of editors. In the first two issues, this seemed to highlight the fact that this was a magazine primairly about the work itself--it is the actual art and content that matters the most. The prominence of the poems themselves are also highlighted in the stark presentation of a single artist's work centered on the page, without any overlapping between different writers and artwork, so the reader confronts each work separately. In the first two issues, there are a few spare pen and ink drawings, but there doesn’t seems to be much of a collaboration between the artwork and poetry, or if there is one, it is confusing. For example, in the 2nd issue, right before the poem “Leda,” by Aldous Huxely, there is a pen and ink drawing of a nude woman by Nina Hamnett who seems to have extremely masculine legs and back, not a young beautiful girl and swan.

 

Although the magazine's cover changes as the issues progress, and by the second issue there is spare artwork included., The magazine doesn't contain any distracting commercial advertisements, although at the end of the second issue there is a feature for the publisher of the magazine, and bookseller, “The Bomb Shop.”

 

However, by the third issue, the magazine has already changed its title from being merely a poetry magazine, from being “art, prose and poetry.” Huxley seems to have been a regular contributor, but his prose pieces, such as in the fourth issue seem extremely trashy. His romance piece opens with a reference to his poem Leda from the last issue, but is on nowhere near the level of the poetry. However, it seems that in this magazine, there is a growing emphasis placed on giving the readership the choices to decide on what is fine or not. Perhaps this is why the magazine opened and features a largely absent editorial staff, to place more emphasis on the readers, to allow them into the “Coterie” of deciding what is good taste and what isn’t. The readership was actually quite high for this type of magazine, and averaging about a 1,000 per issue, considering how expensive this journal was to produce and considering that it didn’t include any everyday commercial advertising interspersed between the issues, just literary advertisements and booksellers.

The art included as well in the fourth and fifth issues are more of their own pieces, less of illustrations and more of their own work, as the new title implies.

 

Rachel Borg

Shawna Love, Lisa Accardi, Roseanne Honan

Readership and Overview of The Blue Review

It has been difficult to gather evidence regarding the readership and social-economic-political positions of The Blue Review. What has been gleaned, however, has allowed for new methods of comparison and contrast, as well as the illumination of a different facet of the modernist period. In its short span, The Blue Review allowed for the publication of many poems, illustrations and short stories by well-known Georgian and modernist authors and artists. Although considered “interesting” due to its contributing writers, there seems to be an undercurrent of conservatism that may have led to The Blue Review’s short life span.

The Blue Review could be considered a more accessible avant-garde literary magazine. Katherine Mansfield, a New Zealand expatriate and author, and John Middleton Murry, a literary critic with working-class ties, created the magazine following the demise of Rhythm. Distinctions can be made after researching both The New Age and The Blue Review, as The New Age had clear inclinations towards a certain agenda, despite its open criticisms and discourses. The Blue Review has no manifesto or editorial summation of a particular political standpoint. 

The geographical base of The Blue Review was clearly situated in England, as the magazine was published in London. Murry and Mansfield did find inspiration from the French, perhaps in both style and presentation. Little was found in regards to the numbers of subscribers to the magazine during my research, but it seems that it must have proved disappointing for a reader who paid for a long-term subscription of a magazine which subsequently folded in a three-month span. There were obvious plans to extend the magazine’s publication, which is noted in another part of this essay.

What has been noted in the research of The Blue Review, and what can be speculated is that the readership of the magazine would be more inclined to read literary works devoid of pointed political opinion. The Blue Review was less an exchange of ideas, but rather a means to transmit the works of certain authors of the time. There seems to be quite an emphasis on poetry. One of the more notable which reflects a traditional or romantic nod with a dash of witticism was “To His Friend, To Try Another Tavern” by Oliver Gogarty (Volume 1, Issue 1). In addition to poetry, complete short stories abound in The Blue Review, with contributions by its co-editor, Katherine Mansfield, in each issue. Some works continue on for more than five pages, such as “The Soiled Rose” by D.H, Lawrence (Volume 1, Issue 1), a friend of both Mansfield and Murry.

Despite its apparent “conservative” or traditionalist slant, The Blue Review is still considered part of the Modernist Journal Project, and continues to be researched. This may be due to the interest in the personal lives of both Murry and Mansfield, who are researched as literary critic and author, respectively. This did seem to hinder the research, as any mention of The Blue Review in Murry’s and Mansfield’s biographies were short. There are available editions of the original Blue Review, which can be found in the British Library (call number P.P5938.g). Closer to home, the New York Public Library has the magazine in microform. Through a search of www.worldcat.org, text editions can be procured at the University of Central Oklahoma, Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and Washington State University. The Modernist Magazine Project also continues its research of little magazines and modernist magazines, “both fugitive and more established magazines,” according to their website. Professor Peter Brooker at Sussex University will continue researching for an as-of-yet published three-volume collection entitled Critical and Cultural History of Modernist Magazines. During research, I stumbled upon a website associated with this collection (the first volume in the series is slated for publication in 2009):

Problems of survival, maintaining a position and readership. ... (1911-13), The Blue Review (1913) and Signature (1915) (Peter Brooker, Nottingham) ...
www.cts.dmu.ac.uk/modmags/critical/volone.php

This website would have proved invaluable for my research into the readership and position of The Blue Review, but it will have to wait until next year.

Its short span as a literary magazine may be equated with failure, but the editors of The Blue Review can be lauded for their efforts in publishing the works of writers and artists, both well-known and obscured in history. Small literary magazines such as The Blue Review allowed for the expression of ideas, which embodies the modernist spirit. 

Addendum

During research, we could not help but to draw parallels between The Blue Review and modern literary journals, such as New York’s Hudson Review and online publications like Glimmertrain. These types of literary publications showcase the works of artists and authors, just as The Blue Review seems to do for the editors’ friends and colleagues. To contrast, there are still several modern magazines that hearken back to The New Age’s open discourse. Zoetrope, movie director Francis Ford Coppola’s virtual, interactive website where writers, poets screenwriters and artists can post their work online and have it critiqued by fellow artists, may well become part of the relevant discourse of literary society. 

INTERESTING FACT: The editorial headquarters of The Blue Review was located at 57 Chancery Lane, London. The same address now houses The Labor Press, an anarchist magazine which publishes Liberty’s Library.

History of The Blue Review

In order to adequately discuss The Blue Review, we must explore its history, which actually pre-dates its existence. The Blue Review existed solely because of the demise of its predecessor, Rhythm, which was said to have no specific political implications. John Middleton Murry was inspired to start the avant-garde magazine, Rhythm, with his friend J.D. Fergusson by the Parisian art world. During this period, Paris was regarded as the most artistically avant-garde city of the time.

Murry met Katherine Mansfield (who would later become his wife) while they were both contributors to The New Age. Later in the publication of Rhythm, Mansfield joined Murry as co-editor. They began to edit under the pseudonym “The Two Tigers.” Murry’s lack of business knowledge led Rhythm into large financial debt with its printers. Murry and Mansfield were forced to move out of their country home and into a one room apartment, which would later serve as the office for both Rhythm and The Blue Review. Many of those in the literary circle in London admired the pair for struggling to make the magazine survive and offered to contribute pieces free of charge. Despite these kind actions, the financial difficulties were too great to bear and Rhythm folded in March of 1913.

Murry and Mansfield

In May of 1913, Murry and Mansfield created and edited Rhythm’s replacement, The Blue Review. Murry was so committed to making his publication work that he assumed the financial risk himself. The Blue Review was published in London by Martin Secker and lasted only three issues. The Blue Review was published in May, June and July of 1913 before it too folded due to financial difficulties. Finances were such an issue that shortly thereafter Murry was forced to file bankruptcy.

During the short run of The Blue Review, Murry and Mansfield contributed a number of pieces to the magazine, selling each eighty-five page issue for only one shilling. Although Murry grew up poor, he was classically educated. This, as well as his love of art and admiration for the French may have been reflected in pieces included in The Blue Review. Murry managed The Blue Review on a cooperative basis. This meant that writers were to contribute to The Blue Review for nine months without payment. After nine months, all of the profits were to be divided amongst the contributors after deducting production expenses. This idea was similar to those followed with much success in some French reviews, most markedly, Le Mercure de France. Since The Blue Review only lasted three months before it folded, it is safe to speculate that the contributors never got paid. 

The Style and Format of The Blue Review

In its three issues, The Blue Review sought to provide readers with a magazine that contained literature, drama, art and music.  The journal was written in a style similar to that of a book in that each page dedicated to writing did not include any advertisements or photos.  Unlike publications such as The New Age, or even John Middleton Murry’s previous publication, Rhythm, The Blue Review’s poetry and short stories were printed from beginning to end, without interruption or extraneous material on the page.  In fact, if a poem or short story ended at the top of a page, the remaining space on the page was left blank.  Within issue 2 there is a short story titled “Anger and Dismay.”  The story runs from pages 18-26 and ends at the very top of page 26.  More than three-quarters of page 26 is simply left as white space. Perhaps leaving blank space on a page gave readers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the literature without distraction. 

The pages of the journal were formatted into one column and numbered at the bottom in the center, which also gave it a book-like appearance.   It is also fascinating to note that The Blue Review’s pagination ran straight through all three issues.  Issue 1 begins on page 1 and ends on page 76.  Neither the art nor the advertisements are paginated.  Issue 2 picks up on page 77 and issue 3 begins on page 149.  This gives the journal a feeling of continuity, or perhaps it was a marketing ploy. Readers may have felt as if they missed out on something of importance in a previous issue if the current issue did not begin on page 1.  Thus, they may have sought out the earlier issue.

The first issue and last issue of The Blue Review had the contents or contributors listed on the cover and again two pages into the journal.  However, the second issue did not list this information on the cover.  One can infer that citing a journal’s contents on the cover would help to sell the publication and perhaps it was poor sales that prompted The Blue Review to revert to listing its contents on the cover of the last issue.

   

The publication was arranged so that after the contents, the first few pages were devoted to advertising, followed by one or two works of art.  Poetry followed the artwork, then short stories, reviews and further advertisements.  In the first two issues, artwork was sprinkled throughout the journal.  However, in issue 3, the last issue of the journal, only one page of artwork is printed and is located at the beginning of the issue.  This work is a drawing titled, “Post Georgian,” by X. Marcel Boulestin.  Unlike most of the realistic art published in The Blue Review, this piece is modern in that the facial features of the subject are distorted, out of proportion and misplaced.  Notably, X. Marcel Boulestin also contributed writing to The Blue Review and his piece titled “Recent French Novels” was published in the 2nd issue of the journal.  He later went on to become a famous French chef. 

Other art contributors to the journal also had works published in other literary magazines of the time.  Max Beerbohm, whose “A Study of Dubiety” was printed in the first issue of The Blue Review, had cartoons and other various artwork published in both The New Age and The Owl. 

Unfortunately, the art in The Blue Review “never manages to match the vigorous modern visual art that makes its predecessor (Rhythm) especially interesting,” according to The Modernist Journals Project.  This is certainly evidenced by the single work of art in the last issue.

Advertisements were listed in both the very front of The Blue Review and again on the last two pages.  Curiously, several advertisements are written in French – one for a French literary magazine, La Nouvelle Revue Francaise and another for a French periodical, La vie des Lettres.  Perhaps The Blue Review had a French readership, or subscribers were interested in the French culture. 

 

At least three advertisements were related to products for the home or beauty.  In the very first issue, the second page contains a full page ad, printed in blue, for a store that specializes in linens patterned with “designs by modern artists.”  In the second issue, there is an ad for The Parma Room, a place that customers can seek “scientific hair brushing” and “face treatment.”  Maud Barham specialized in “gowns of beautiful lines & subtlety of colour” and also printed an advertisement in the second issue of The Blue Review.  These ads seem to prove that the journal had a large female readership. 

 

One advertiser remained with the publication throughout its tenure.  The publishers of Carnival, “Compton Mackenzie’s famous novel” printed an ad in all three issues of The Blue Review, but strangely, the author was not a contributor to the journal.

Rhythm: Art Music Literature Quarterly

Eugenia, Noriela, Christina

            Our group analyzed and discussed the journal of Rhythm from the Modernist Journal Project.  This journal ran from the summer of 1911 until 1913.  The main editor was John Middleton Murry and his assistants were Michael T.H. Sadler and John Duncan Ferguson, who was mainly the art editor.  In June of 1912, Katherine Mansfield joined Rhythm as the assistant editor and she became the co-editor in 1913.  She and John Murray started a long tumultuous affair.  They were married years later around 1918.  We focused on Volume One, Issue One, Summer of 1911, Volume Two, Issue Nine, October 1912 and Issue Fourteen, March 1913.  After doing some further research into the lives of Murry and Mansfield we discovered that there were many poems and stories written about their romance such as the poem Torment written by Murray in Issue Nine in Volume Two.  He writes about his torment of being the other man. Murray's writing in this poem shows his lust and desire to be with his mistress forever.  According to the end of the first Volume, Issue One, the Aim and Ideals of Rhythm were to seek out the strong things in art.  " Before art can be human it must learn to be brutal.  Our intention is to provide art, be it drawing, literature, or criticism." 

Rhythm was published in London by The Saint Catherine Press Stephen Swift and Company LTD Martin Secker from 1911-1912.  In 1912 Secker continued on as publisher in 1913 and into The Blue Review Journal which was a follow up to Rhythm.  Through WorldCat we found that the original magazine is in New Zealand.  The journal is at the Alexander Turnbill Library, the National Library of New Zealand.  We corresponded with the library and they have informed us that they indeed do have Rhythm.  They wanted our address to send us relevant information about the journal.  Unfortunately, the New Zealand library said it would take up to three weeks to get more information to us.  Maybe you are wondering why the original Rhythm is in New Zealand? Well Katherine Mansfield was born in the country.  She lived there until she moved to England to pursue her writing dreams.  Mansfield was one of few prominant literary artists from  New Zealand and therefore she was recognized and respected there.  Our theory is that the original is in New Zealand to honor their local writer.

Bibliographic Descriptions:

The cover of each magazine is the same.  It is blue with a picture of a naked woman that seems to represent Eve.  We assume that the lady is a representation o because she is next to a tree holding an apple in her hand.  The print is fairly large and bold.  Most pages have pictures on them with distinct bold lines and harsh colors.  "This is why many artists connected to Rhythm were later considered Vorticists." 

 

The pictures were on pages with stories and poems and some were on a page by themselves.  Noticeably many of the drawings were displayed in a sexual manner.  There were instances where the drawings also directly followed the related poetry, stories or reviews.  The artists who drew the pictures were real artists, fairly well known from different countries such as France, England and Italy. Many of the magazines also had self portraits of the artists and the editors of the journal.  For example, the following sketch is of the co-editor Katherine Mansfield.

 

In the earlier journal their were no advertisements.  It was not until the third journal that "announcements" were installed.  This is the name they used for advertisements.  Jet'Aime is an example of an advertisemnt that followed a poem about love and romance.  Jet'Aime means I love you.  This company still exists today and has evolved into a Bridal Shoppe in New Zealand.  The adverisements in Issue Nine (1912) were primarily ads for Art.  Such as advertisements for museums, galleries, exhibitions and stores selling or showing art.  There were also many ads for theatrical readings, plays and shows around the region.

Political and Social Economic Positioning:

Based on reading and scanning the three issues we have chosen, I have come to the conclusion that Rhythm did have some strong positioning on Art and Philosophy.  Its editors did have opinions as far as social class and gender.  In looking into some of the authors of the stories and poems I read, I found that most of them were well established in areas such as science fiction and fantasy.  My assumption is that writing for Rhythm enabled these writers to express their positioning on Art and voice what they felt  was going on economically and politically within the time period.  For example, to start of with I want to dicuss Volume I, Issue One's article Art and Philosophy written by its main editor John Middleton Murry.  I think this article sums up what Rhythm was continuously trying to accomplish throughout the years.  The article is based on the French Philosopher Bergson's theories.  The belief in free will, real truth and eternality of Art were some of his thoeries that Murry stands behind.  Art should continue from generation to generation.  You only become individualized from the past's inheritance.  "Art doesn't break from the past, but a path to the future."  The present presents a fresh path of progress.  You do not forget the past, you embrace it and move forward with changes of the times and truth within your heart.  Aetheticism is how one should create their art.  False Aetheticism cripples Art. Art has many forms and Murry continues to state that having just the past is one aspect of art.  Using the past to create the future "harmonizes" the two into a beautiful song. 

Later on, however, I believe that some of the magazine issues do delve into the political and veer away from being totally aesthetic.  There is aestheticism in this issue within the poetry. Two poems of Arthur Crossthwaite's convey love and depression.  He uses a lot of imagery and metaphor in Songe D' ete and Ennui.  You get the sense he is writing from the heart and perhaps a loved one.  He uses a flower and color to represent women.  It seems as if the class of women is below a man and a lonely life.  The women depicted in some of these poems and stories is portrayed as a dreamer, dreaming because she is stuck with no place to go and is controlled by society; particularly men.  We see this in Volume Two, Issue Fourteen  in two stories: The Little Town and The Clown.  Both stories depict the women as puppets.  The Little Town shows how society is manipulated by the governing or popular factor.  No matter what the women does she cannot stop the manipulation.  The poem the "Mocking Fairy" is also a representation of a women who is not truly free to express herself within Art.  She is stuck in her home sheltered away from the rest of the world even the mystical one.  It is interesting the poems and stories I have mentioned were written by men.  I think this is because the men writing in Rhythm believed in the same philosophy as Bergson and wanted an aestheticism in art and life for everyone.  It was time to use the past to create a productive future.  Changes were neccesary and needed for the equality of genders and the productiveness of society.

Flipping back to the middle section of journals with Volume Two, Issue Nine, the magazine relates work to its editors Murry and Middleton's love affair. Throughout there are some stories that hindge on religion which as I believe to know it would not be in the aestheticism way.  At first, I thought the journal was harping on religion based on skimming through various articles. From skimming religions seemed present because the use of many theological terms were present.  But it is my inclination now that I was wrong and Rhythm does not overwhelmingly procure specific teachings of one particular religion in the articles I read.  There was a snippet of mention in the story The Little Girl only because they went to church.  But, the main focus was on the little girl's relationship with her father.  Instead this story brings up issues of class and roles of the family.  The stereotype that the father in the household is the boss and that a child should be scared of him.  As opposed to the woman figures in the home such as her mother or grandmother.  The story also implies a certain class status of wealth due to the fact they own a piano, soft silk pillows, extra rooms in the house and servants to help out.  The author Lili Heron shows you a stereotype of the past and then at the end of her story she enables the reader to see how change benefits the role of the family when the father can take his daugher in his arms and be just as maternal as a grandma would be. A different type of story called Fuel written by Dusany links back to the earlier theories of Art and Philosophy.  I sensed as strong tone of sarcasm in his writing.  Dusany whose background is in fantasty uses this genre, he knows so well, and creates a story that mixes fantasy with metaphorical satire.  He associates the coal as the unwanted poets of the time.  He analyses how the poets are neglected and that their ideals are mocked.  "Staying left in the past keeps Art at hold like an anchored ship."  Dusany wants to see the old ways come down.  He declares he'd sit down and listen to a poet any old day or time.  He feels it is important to talk and share dreams and hopes with your friends and loved ones before you die. In another comparison, Dusany uses the magic children feel Christmas Eve night and sacred ritual it is as a way to say that people should feel that mystery and magical spark about Art.

From what I have read and observed Rhythm was an entertaining journal.  It had a mixture of literature for everyone.  It had artwork that was bold, daring and compelling to the eye.  The stories and poems were both enjoyable, and intense.  They inclined you to be socially aware of the present and how to move forward into the future.  Their advertisements were passionate about institutionalizing the arts into every day life.  For the most part the editors of Rhythm sustained their mission to have aesthetic viewpoints on Art and to continue to adhere into the future not negating the past, just changing it.

Now concernning their spiritual beliefs a thought was sparked when I first read their first story in Volume 1 which was called the 'The New Thelema'. At first when I read it, I questioned whether this was a story or was it their philosophy on life.  Therefore I looked up the word Thelema and I found that it was a philosophy which was developed by Francois Rabelais in 1532. Then around 1904 an English poet and author called Alesister Crowley, developed this philosophy even furthur. The main beliefs are "Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law."They believed that every man and woman is a star and that each have a unique path in the universe. Therefore, because of this unique path in the universe they must do what they will in order to obtain their fulfillment and freedom in life. Another main belief is, "Love is the law, love under will". They believe that the entire universe of  humans are united by this power of love.

In conclusion this philosophy focuses on freedom and individuality and love and when you come to think of it, that is what Rhythm is all about.One can see individuality and freedom through their paintings and one can definitely sense the power of love through their poems.