Life, 1923-05-17 · page 43 of 46
Life — May 17, 1923 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This essay satirizes modernist literature's deliberate obscurity. The author mocks the 1920s literary establishment's assumption that incomprehensible writing signals genius, while clarity suggests mediocrity. The joke: readers struggle through obtuse books by "younger intellectuals," and if they *can't* understand it, the author wins and earns "masterpiece" status. The critic's defense against attacks becomes absurdly circular—claiming obscure words have symbolic rather than dictionary meaning, then adding defensive annotations to the published edition. The piece attacks the pretentiousness of treating unintelligibility as literary merit. It's a broadside against the intellectual snobbery of 1920s avant-garde literature, suggesting authors deliberately obscure meaning to appear profound. The final line—"it's so easy for the author to win"—delivers the sting: success requires only confusing readers, not actually writing well. This reflects genuine 1920s frustration with modernist complexity (Joyce, Pound, etc.).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Literary Game - Wuen we pick up a book by one of our younger intellectu- als, we pick up a direct challenge from the author to our comprehen- sion. We open it, and the struggle is on. If we—say, on the thousandth reading — possibly make out what the author’s talking about, we win. And if we can’t, he wins; and is credited with one masterpiece. Those are the rules. Our English-speaking modesty made them. We unintelli- gentsia have come to realize that anything we can understand can't be so good. And though a book that makes sense may be all right for lit- tle children and ancestors, we want none but the best. And why not? We have it! Of only a few of the literary old- timers could it be said that they were “dark with excess of light.’” In other words, that you couldn't. make out what they were talking about. But a now the golden age is upon us. You | ,; ARS can be run on any can’t make out what anybody’s talk- | kind of tires, just as Polo | abo Hi . ing about. It’s glorious ! was once played in England Also it’s a bit fatiguing. It calls | : : “TT: + for so much additional reading of re- with billiard balls. It isn’t so views. To be perfectly fair, one has much using tires that “will do,” to read the adverse criticism. You as it is in knowing which tires know, where some critic attacks the will do better. THE <7 y GENERAL “EUROPE~1923"—Full —xoes a long way information covering 25 to make fics CORD TIRE AMERICAN EXPRESS CONDUCTED TOURS To Europe Spring and Summer Weekly to July 28th. Wide range of routes and costs, Small, select parties. . Address ( es Béway, book viciously by swearing he has . found sense in three consecutive words. Of course, that would be per- fectly damning if he could prove it. But can he? Post-haste, the author's S critical protagonists rush to his de- SAoes u fense with the explanation that the words are not used in the dictionary FOR INDIGESTION sense. That.in fact they have no a) . sense at all, as words; though as FOOT= ee Y } 3 symbols they may suggest. And if For Corn Bunion: EL " EES that fails, frantic over the possibility ed and of his idea coming to light, the AT ALL Te Aching 6 Saeed author himself rushes up with a | MRUAMSIEISUS MES) Feet Zz Hot water smoke screen of annotations, in the | TrialpackageandaFoot-Ease Waliting Dolleent Free bound edition. And then the attack- | Address ALLEN’S FOOT=EASE, Le Roy, N. Y. : Sure Relief ing critic gets really nasty, and in- | ~ a sinuates that the whole thing’s a | BE LL AN iS joke. And the devil’s to pay. And CARTOONISTS EARN IMMENSE SALARIES 1 2¢ ano 75¢ PACKAGES EVERYWHERE| cognoscenti fight on roofs. And in q a — far Cathay a child dies. . CG RTOOWs WG But after all, it’s so easy for the Learn at home—courses on easy pay ments. We teach caricaturing, news: aber” comics, ‘and ant . author to win. All he has to do is Courses “for beginners also, special aa of ness. Heavy weird and: 5 s, . s, . F Yanced courses, 8 5 ins ‘Genuine fe eH sels | to write his book with no idea at all, ee CTF ‘ou know. Yes, 1 ; Bp \ fag opportunities for you. - T see you know. BH Dest 82 1. ecoatant Studios GR of Cartooning 306 Broadway New York Clty, N. ¥. os comicbooks.com