What’s Wrong with American Literature? Part One

NEEDED: An autopsy of American literature. An examination of problems from top to bottom. Not just of the top-heavy hierarchical machine which delivers the art, through various avenues, to the public, but of the art itself.

FIRST must come a recognition that the art in its various forms has problems. Novels, short stories, plays, poems, criticism. That it is in effect dead— or at least on life support.

PREMISE: That American literature was seized by postmodern scoundrels and thieves, who turned the art into this narrow, largely irrelevant piece of delicate historical pottery kept on a shelf in a dusty museum in an obscure corner of the cultural city opened for three hours twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A living art needs to be necessary and vital and it needs to be among the people, part of their everyday myths and memories.

THIS POST is not meant to be pessimistic. On the contrary, it’s optimistic, because with a host of problems comes the opportunity to correct them. To put the literary art back on course, and in so doing, restore its rightful status– its central place in today’s culture.

HOW to do this will be the fun part.

-KW

Finding New Influences

HOW TO REVIVE AN ART

Winston Churchill, one of the first politicians to see the threat posed by an Austrian crackpot named Adolf, once said something to the effect that he could see farther into the future, because he looked further back into the past.

Following that strategy, searching for new influences and sources, I’ve been studying American cultural history of past decades. Current one examined: the 1930’s.

Which has led me to a uniquely overlooked novel: City for Conquest by Aben Kandel. A throwback to when novels were large of experience and passion, and attempted to encompass the world. Were critical standards different from what they are now (critics today favor inward-looking tomes of refined language), it might be considered one of the nation’s great novels, as it portrays the reality of America and its growth as well as any novel ever has. Instead, though, to know about the work, you have to find out about it by accident, inevitably by encountering the minimalist-by-comparison movie version. For the gatekeepers of “Literature-with-a-capital-L,” the novel might not be politically incorrect, but it’s stylistically unacceptable. Too raw. Too real.

The book is described in the Introduction to its latest printing as “vivid, overwrought, and melodramatic.”

My reaction: Awesome! This is exactly what the new novel will need to be to grab the attention of the unwary in this tumultuous, ultra-noisy civilization– every bit as noisy today near the end of 2023 as the way Kandel described it in 1937. I’m nine chapters into the book and it doesn’t disappoint. Its strengths adeptly utilized can be part of an upcoming and very necessary Culture Shock provided by never-before-seen kinds of literary products able to stand a once-great but currently-stagnant art form on its head.

Don’t bet against it.

-Karl Wenclas

The “Can’t Do This” People

(toy fort c/o Kid Eco)


WHO ARE the Can’t Do This People?

Answer: Today’s literary intelligentsia and their spokespersons, established literary critics. They’re like generals fighting a previous war, embedded in outmoded attitudes, waiting to be toppled by armies with new ideas and more aggressive tactics.

In short, they leave room for their predictably-positioned rigid regiments to be outflanked.

Room? Wide avenues on either side.

The self-appointed highbrows are terrified of any writing smacking of “masscult” or “midcult,” “middlebrow” (listen to your Virginia Woolf-schoolteacher lessons you studious play-the-game pupils)– or any writing which might potentially become– gasp!– popular! NO! Can’t have that.

Politics? Not.

Melodrama? OUT!

Plot? Complex structure? NO WAY!!

Which provides the simple answer to this question: How to reinvent the literary art? Be willing to try things which the designated literary experts are unwilling to try.

There they sit in their immobile fortress, unable to move. Can anyone knock the fortress down? Unlikely. But one can go around it– and leave its occupants behind, stuck in one spot.

(c/o Regal Toy Soldiers)

-KW

Narcissism Lit

ANOTHER IN A SERIES EXAMINING THE INSIDER LITERARY WORLD

(photo c/o Glamour magazine)

ONE OF the so-called Literary It Girls getting hyped by the decrepit remains of the Manhattan media machine is heiress Allie Rowbottom, author of a much-touted novel, Aesthetica. Yet more autofiction, by all accounts. A depiction of a narcissistic main character, and by extension, today’s culture. Newsflash: we already know about it, are bombarded by narcissism from every corner of electronic media. Do we really want to grovel in the book’s self-absorbed descriptions? A criticism of plastic surgery? Or a celebration of it?

Allie Rowbottom was most recently seen giving skin care advice in the pages of a Manhattan glamor magazine. She reveals she gets Botox injections, may be conflicted about the procedure and other procedures, but receives them anyway. America’s out-of-touch leisure class. Meanwhile, unhinged heavily-armed well-trained potential mass killers roam America from Maine to Texas, waiting to be triggered; wars break out across the globe; bad-guy authoritarians make moves to end any semblance of world peace; tech plutocrats become ever wealthier with new AI schemes (the wealth gap has never been greater) while more people who are unable to make rent or mortgage payments are thrown into the streets. 21st Century Chaos! But hey, Allie Rowbottom has a new novel out about one person’s obsession with her face– powers-that-be in the Insider Literary Realm expect us to run out and buy it.

Widen that wealth gap more? No thanks.

-KW

Interview: Joe Del Castillo

1.)  What inspired your story, “And the Angels Sing”?

The story was based on visits I did make to my ailing uncle and also, at random times, a group of subway singers. Over time, I combined them with my thoughts about music in general and turned them into conversations with the hospice person.  

2.)  Who are a few of your favorite writers? Favorite musicians?

Favorite writers include Fitzgerald, the short stories of Hemingway, Ann Beatie, Phillip Pullman. In terms of music, it’s a wide range from theater to rock and pop. From Hammerstein to Sondheim, Sinatra and his pack, the Beatles and Beach Boys, Bruce, Motown.

3.)  Which do you feel is a stronger mode of communication, literature or music?

I think music communicates best. Even if you hear a song in a different language and don’t understand the words, the vocal and melody can  affect your mood.  

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NOW read Joe Del Castillo’s feature story at our main site, “And the Angels Sing.”

The Burdens and Failings of Empire

VIEWING A SCENE FROM THE 1959 FILM VERSION OF BEN-HUR

“The grown man knows the world he lives in.”

Though it won eleven Academy Awards when it came out, today the 1959 movie version of Ben-Hur is ridiculously underrated by film critics and historians. In visuals and sound– including a best-ever film score by Miklos Rozsa– it provides one of the great cinematic experiences. Including the best-ever movie action sequence, the famed chariot race. But it’s also the most literate film epic ever made, with the possible exception of 1963’s Lawrence of Arabia. Contributors to Ben-Hur’s script included Karl Tunberg (who received screen credit), Christopher Fry, Gore Vidal, Maxwell Anderson, and S. N. Behrman– outstanding talents all.

The talent is shown, in my opinion, in one scene in particular, which, with everything happening in the world today, is more relevant than ever. This is the encounter between Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, and Judah Ben-Hur after Judah has won the chariot race. The subject being what path for an individual to follow when facing the cruel complexities of this world. To choose the big-picture reality of Empire– or move to the side of personal tragedies which may be indirectly or directly caused by Empire.

It’s a dilemma I notice taking place right now regarding the same part of the world, between America’s pro-Palestinian left, and those left-leaning liberals supporting President Biden on the issue, who are taking a broader, Pax Americana view– the view outlined in Biden’s October 19, 2023 televised speech. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Hopefully it won’t take 2,000 years to figure it out.

Anyway, the scene–

NOTE: The film is based on the novel by Lew Wallace, published in 1880, before the United States was considered an empire. Wallace had been a general on the Union side during the American Civil War. The reigning world empire at the time, Great Britain, had tacitly supported the South during that war. Did this influence Lew Wallace’s novel? One wonders.

-KW

An Excerpt from “And the Angels Sing” by Joe Del Castillo

A SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEW POP LIT’S NEXT FEATURE

“Do you remember?” I continued, “I was into the Beatles and all the British Invasion groups that were out then, but you never cared for them. It was difficult for me to understand that you could not see what I saw in those performers. You talked about Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and the like. You insisted that I listen to their music and gain an appreciation for their artistry. I felt I knew them well enough since they were who mom and dad listened to. I now had my own stars and their songs dominated my head. Of course, I was sixteen, so I thought my opinions mattered more. I wanted you to understand what ‘my’ singers were talking about. If your favorites sang about love, mine sang about love, but also civil rights and injustice. Wasn’t that more important?”

Coming Soon!

Interview: Aspen Audley

1.) Which would you rather be doing: writing or practicing tai chi?

As much as I enjoy the sense of accomplishment after completing a story, feeling as though I was able to successfully crystallize my emotions, experiences, and imagination into words, I would have to say that I enjoy practicing tai chi more than writing. Writing has never been easy for me. And while learning a new tai chi routine can also be difficult, I am in love with the experience of moving in time to the music, performing in perfect sync with my fellow tai chi classmates, and mastering something physically. It is my burning passion.

2.) Are there a writer or writers whose work you use as a model, or at least as an example of something to strive for?

My favorite writer is James Herriot (true name Alf Wight), the author of the All Creatures Great and Small series. I may fall short, but I always reach for his level of excellence when I write. 

3.) What’s your goal as a writer?

My goal as a writer is to capture the wisps of memory and creativity floating around in my head, share them in a way that is clear and melodic, and leave the reader with an understanding that, despite our differences, we can relate to each other through the common experience of being human. I hope that my stories make people feel as though they know me and that I care about making their day a little happier.

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NOW read Aspen Audley’s feature story at our main site: “White Crane Spreads Its Wings.”

“Moment (October)”

A POEM BY JAMES CROAL JACKSON

spring wind

palette of butterflies

                golden hour

                         the shuffled-card memory

                         flipped through photos

                         the month passed

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James Croal Jackson is a Filipino-American poet who works in film production. His latest chapbooks are Count Seeds With Me (Ethel Zine & Micro-Press, 2022) and Our Past Leaves (Kelsay Books, 2021). Recent poems are in Stirring, Vilas Avenue, and *82 Review. He edits The Mantle Poetry from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (jamescroaljackson.com)

This is the first of three poems to be presented here by James.