Sinclair Lewis, part one

This is the third of a series of programs untitled as others read us

American fiction abroad produced and recorded by the Literary

Society of the University of Massachusetts under a grant from the Educational

Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of

educational broadcasters on this the Third Programme in the

series. The work of Sinclair Lewis will be discussed by Mr Perry Miller and

Mr. Renato. Mr. Miller born in Chicago in

1905 is professor of American literature at Harvard and has

been lecturer in American Studies at the University of Leiden. He's the author of such

books as the New England mind. Jonathan Edwards and a

forthcoming The Raven and the Whale and of numerous articles on American literature

including the work of Sinclair Lewis. Mr. Poggioli born in

Florence in 1007 is professor of Slavic and comparative literature at

Harvard coming to this country in 1938 he had previously taught at the

universities of Florence Buno and Warsaw. He's written on

modern Russian poetry and on modern European literature he's foreign

editor of inventory O and international quarterly published in Milan.

Moderator for this program is Mr. Leeson Varley of the University of Massachusetts

English department.

Mr Varley Sinclair Lewis was born February 7 1885 at Sauk

son and a soldier died in January 10 1951 in Rome.

The force of its European impact was shown when in 1930 Lois's author of Babel became the first

American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. His 22 novels realistic

and satirical awakened America to self-scrutiny and assured Europeans

that Americans were free to criticize themselves. In 1920 appeared the novel

which first brought us international attention. This was Main Street the story of

Carol Kennicott a criticism of the American small town collar

kind of guy sensitive an educated city girl has married a middle western doctor

moved to Gopher Prairie Minnesota. It is through her eyes that we see the surface

ugliness and universal similarity which is the physical expression of a philosophy

of dull safety. Always there is the same number the same railroad

station the same food corrosion the same creamery the same box like

houses and two story shops even vie to show one who shares

Carol's wish to raise Gopher Prairie from its level. Mediocrity cannot see the

town as Carol must see it Carol speaks.

Well there we are then VIDA. The remedy is there any

criticism perhaps for the beginning of the beginning. Oh there's nothing that attacks the

tribal god mediocrity that doesn't help a little and probably there's nothing that helps very

much. Perhaps some day the farmers will build in on their market towns.

But I'm afraid I haven't any reform program. Not anymore. The trouble is

spiritual and no league or party can enact a preference for gardens rather than dumping

grounds. There's my confession.

Well in other words all you want is perfection. Yes why not. How

do you hate this place. How can you expect to do anything with it if you haven't any

sympathy.

But I have and affection or else I wouldn't fume so I'm going to

go for Perry isn't just an eruption on the prairie as I thought at first but as large as New

York in New York I would know more than 40 or 50 people and I know that many

here. Go on say what you're thinking.

We'll my dear if I did take all your notion seriously it would be pretty

discouraging. Imagine how a person would feel after working hard for

years and helping to build up a nice town to have you areally

flit in and simply say wrong. I think that's fair.

Why not. It must be just as discouraging for the Gopher Prairie art to see Venice and make

comparison it would not.

I imagine gondolas are kind of nice to ride in but we've got better

bathrooms. But my dear you're not the only person in

this town who's done some thinking for herself although pardon my rudeness I'm

afraid you think so. I admit we lack some things. Maybe our

theatre isn't as good as shows in Paris. All right. I don't want to see

any foreign culture suddenly forced on us whether it's street planning or table manners

or crazy communistic ideas. Yes yes I know but I'd still want

startling.

Exotic things life is comfortable I'm clean enough here already

and so secure what it needs is to be less secure more

eager. The civic improvements which I'd like to think the tops just advocate are Strydenburg

plays and classic dancers and I can see them so clearly. I think

black bearded cynical Frenchman who would sit about and great can sing opera and tell bawdy

stories and laugh at our proprieties and quote Rabelais and and not be ashamed to kiss my

hand but I'm not so sure about the rest of it.

But I guess that's what you and all the other discontented young women really want some

stranger kissing your hand. Oh my dear don't take that too seriously

I just may end there or you just meant it.

Go on be good for my soul. It's not funny. Here we are.

Me trying to be good for Governor Perry so I'm Gopher Prairie trying to be good for mine.

What are my other sins.

There's plenty of them. Possibly someday we shall have your fat

cynical Frenchman horrible sneering tobacco stained object ruining his

brains and his digestion with vile liquor. But now thank Heaven for a while

we'll manage to keep busy with our lawns and pavements. You see these things

really are coming. The Fennec top sis is getting somewhere. And

you to my great disappointment are doing less not more than the people you left that

Sam Clark on the school board is working for better school ventilation

Elliston body elocution you always think so absurd has persuaded the

railroad to share the expense of a parking space at the station to do away with that vacant

lot.

Sneer so easily. I'm sorry but I do think there's something

essentially cheap in your attitude especially about religion. If you

must know you are not a sound reformer at all you're an impossible ist and you

give up too easily. You gave up on the new City Hall the anti fly

campaign Club papers the library board the dramatic association

just because we didn't graduate into Ibsen the very first thing you want

perfection all at once. Do you know what the finest thing

you've done is aside from bringing Hugh into the world. It was the help you

gave Dr. Will during baby welfare week. You didn't demand that each baby be a

philosopher an artist before you weighed him as you do with the rest of us.

And now I'm afraid perhaps I'll hurt you. We're going to have a new school

building in this town in just a few years and we'll have it without one bit of help or

interest from you.

PROFESSOR MARK KNIGHT and some others have been digging away at the moneyed men for years.

We didn't call on you because you would never stand the pound pound pounding year after year

without one bit of encouragement. And we've won. I've got the promise of

everybody who counts that just as soon as war conditions permit they'll vote the bombs for the

school halls and we'll have a wonderful building lovely brown brick with big

windows and agricultural and manual training departments. When we get it

that'll be my answer to all your theories.

I'm glad and I'm ashamed I haven't had any part in getting it. But please don't

think I'm unsympathetic if I ask one question. Will the teachers in the hygenic new

building go on informing the children that Persia is a yellow spot on the map and and

Caesar the title of a book of grammatical puzzles.

I don't care I won't endure it. You lie so you will not Bessie. You

tell me I ought to be satisfied with Hugh and a good home and planting service stations and a station

garden. Do you think you can make me believe that a display of potatoes at the farmer's products is

enough beauty and strangeness. Oh I am all right. When I

die the world will be annihilated as far as I'm concerned. Oh I am oh I

am not content to leave the sea in the ivory towers to others. I want them for me.

Mr. Miller what would you say would be the immediate reaction in this country to the criticism implicit in the

Oh well of course in the 1920s success of the link was astonishing it was

stupendous and letters from lawyers to his publisher Harcourt working saying that

Lewis was working up to two to shock and to make a surprise

and the article rather dubious what they were going to get it but he did get it. This is Louis

telling me about how they used to go down to the warehouse and see the great crates being

packed up and shipped away and the lawyers would exult in of course it was a tremendous success at

first on the shock basis.

Well I think there are other reasons for our talking about it but I'd like to ask Mr. project only

when they're in 1920 it had anything like a similar effect in Europe.

I don't think that we can speak often immediately action on broad concept

Nancy's book because if I'm not mistaken Bob it was

published and costly to be far means that your

betters here you know they have first should be in France I don't know too much

about the other countries and therefore of course the Yaksha don't want me to

stand and depend on you because it sounds just

right.

What was the thought there that this was a representative of a small town or did they not know

very well I'm sure it was if you know that kind if it is not dollars that the

unit presentation office made a compound especially the Midwest that

made the greedy play shown in the US is very difficult for Europeans to

understand that we live.

I was going to work different reactions in different quarters of the report the

German reaction I live by as I discover it to Main Street was probably much more

comprehensive than the French and very likely the only times they had all this tradition of a small

town or rural novel I might cons and there seemed to be a kind of

piece of that. And I write my experience and then in Europe in the Jura Germany

Holland of the character of Carol rather tragic and poignant

character that comes out in this election that we just heard was better appreciated. That was in

America I would say.

I'm sure when I spotted the other European countries

concern I feel that it is quite probable that your

mom either understood the Norman this situation exactly

because perhaps and I literally found something to combine with a

certain kind of general model of national. We could

be described a similar kind of thing that fascinates me about it.

The little experience I have had of seeing European reactions to

Lewis. Whether or not they got the ambiguity once after maybe if they read it even

if they read it after Babbitt captured sort of the Mbugua Willy

Lewis's attitude toward the small town I would say that in America after the first

success which was one of shock it took American readers a long time to understand that this wasn't

just an angry and satirical attack on the small town that there was as

in the character of Friday here in this selection we just heard it was saying

something for it as well as pointing out its ugliness.

So a good point I'm sure at the end nature you know that these phones not us.

Yes yes.

Statement like you know black and white all black and white matter where

intelligent critics who understood and there's a model for the head

here. Your interest statement she's at a place where we'd

like to hear that which are our lords in 1930.

And which is a kind of summing up 1930 last year he got the Nobel Prize.