.BOOKS
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wings for possibly a century...." Nobody waits for a century. (For
Veblen, the engineers were a metaphor; but that's another matter.)
The intellectuals of the New Class are now gathering for a great national
jamboree - under the expert auspices of an adventurous heir. In fifty
years all but a handful of Ancient Mariners from the present intellectual
areas will be dead.
"Why do societies resist change? A full explanation of social inertia
must reach deep into the psychological and technical underpinnings of
the human community. But in the context of our present concern we
need not delve to such depths." Oh?
THE REDISCOVERY OF
AMERICAN LITERATURE
Premises of Critical Taste,
1906-1940
By Richard Ruland
David T. Bazelon
This study in the history of taste looks closely at
the work of a number of important American
critics in an effort to understand the literary likes
and dislikes of two generations. As the author
argues in his lengthy discussion of F. O. Mat–
thiessen, the questions these critics asked about
the relation between art and life in our society
remain highly pertinent today.
$6.95
AMERICAN WRITING IN
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
By Willard Thorp
"A book of quiet mastery and convincing author–
ity, the first really definitive treatment of our
modern literary achievement."-RoBERT
E.
SPILLER,
New York Time! Book Review.
5th printing.
$6.00
at your
bookstore
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
