AN EXCHANGE OF LETTERS
as well as a form-to set up in people a sense of society. He seems,
from his books, to know the secret: he ought to know how.
Hence, do you think, this demand for journalism about artistry?
It obviously must be wanted and will be read, or it would not be
commissioned. And the stress is required to be on the social aspect,
not the creative one. My view-and, I can see, yours-is that writers
should keep out of pulpits and off platforms, and just write. They
should not for a moment consider putting their names to petitions
or letters to newspapers on matters that they do not know much
about and have no reason to know anything about. The temptation
to do so is becoming unduly great- why? Obviously, it's a tempta–
tion to
amour propre,
but how-l mean, owing to what disordered
values and fallacious hopes on the part of the public- does the temp–
tation come to be presented?
All my own discoveries about life have been capricious and in–
advertent: I should hesitate to lay down tl;_le law about anything. I
wouldn't say the same thing about you; but I was fascinated by your
story about your story of the X-ray department of the hospital and
the nurse who wrote to you. I don't think you and I ought to ignore
our own common sense, of which we have the ordinary human modi–
cum.
It
appears in our writing because it appears in us; but because it
is mixed with vision, or whatever else one calls imaginative percep–
tion, it sounds Delphic. I could go on about this but had better stop.
I meant to shred up the headline about the challenge of our times,
but possibly that may come later. Greetings.
Graham Greene to Elizabeth Bowen
(After reading the three previous letters)
When your letter came, I had just been reading Mrs.
Gaskell's
Life of Charlotte Bronte,
and this sentence from one of
Charlotte Bronte's letters recurred to my mind. It certainly repre–
sents my view, and I think it represents yours as well: "You will see
that
Villette
touches on no matter of public interest. I cannot write
books handling the topics of the day; it is of no use try.ing. Nor can
I write a book for its moral. Nor can I take up a philanthropic
scheme, though I honor philanthropy.
"
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