I don't know that Dr. Taylor meant to associate T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, etc. with the likes of Dadaists, Pop artists, and whatever is the latest craze in the art, poetry, or literary scene. However, he segued rather quickly from condemning the former as leaning toward fascism to derogating artists who merely strove for originality and contradiction. Whatever T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound can be found guilty of it is not a constant striving for the creation of original works that defy the common consensus. This is a criticism that is more appropriately aimed at the nihilistic works of Damien Hirst.
Maybe the comparison isn’t optimal, but his criticism still stands- that those works attempt to overcome an aesthetic gordian knot of contradiction through simplicity and eradication of the complicating factors- much like fascism is borne out of an over simplified solution to an overwhelming amount of contradiction
@@2dopington The poetry of T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound cannot be said to be simple in any way. One of the great attributes of the Modernist era in literature (which would include writers like Joyce) is the ability of the authors to weave together references throughout history from Homer to the time at which the works were written. The Wasteland is a very good case in point which not only weaves in elements of the myths of King Arthur, but also throws in references to Hinduism as well. Also, I don't think that fascism is some attempt at a simple solution, especially since there are so many varieties of it, like there are so many varieties of socialism, capitalism, etc. Some forms might be rather simplistic, but others were more complex. To the extent that a particular form of fascism was viewed as an ideology that must be adhered to despite human nature it failed miserably as did similarly ideological forms of communism, socialism, and capitalism.
I don't know that Dr. Taylor meant to associate T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, etc. with the likes of Dadaists, Pop artists, and whatever is the latest craze in the art, poetry, or literary scene. However, he segued rather quickly from condemning the former as leaning toward fascism to derogating artists who merely strove for originality and contradiction.
Whatever T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound can be found guilty of it is not a constant striving for the creation of original works that defy the common consensus. This is a criticism that is more appropriately aimed at the nihilistic works of Damien Hirst.
I am not 100 per cent certain. The only way to keep the world alive is to get out of the way of life
@@contentinternational My hovercraft is full of eels.
Maybe the comparison isn’t optimal, but his criticism still stands- that those works attempt to overcome an aesthetic gordian knot of contradiction through simplicity and eradication of the complicating factors- much like fascism is borne out of an over simplified solution to an overwhelming amount of contradiction
@@2dopington The poetry of T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound cannot be said to be simple in any way. One of the great attributes of the Modernist era in literature (which would include writers like Joyce) is the ability of the authors to weave together references throughout history from Homer to the time at which the works were written. The Wasteland is a very good case in point which not only weaves in elements of the myths of King Arthur, but also throws in references to Hinduism as well.
Also, I don't think that fascism is some attempt at a simple solution, especially since there are so many varieties of it, like there are so many varieties of socialism, capitalism, etc. Some forms might be rather simplistic, but others were more complex. To the extent that a particular form of fascism was viewed as an ideology that must be adhered to despite human nature it failed miserably as did similarly ideological forms of communism, socialism, and capitalism.
Thank you so much for uploading this lecture series.