The Lively Arts: Gilbert Seldes and the Transformation of Cultural Criticism in the United States

506 Pages·1996·29.68 MB·English

by  Michael Kammen

The
Lively
Arts
A L S O B Y M I C H A E L K A M M E N
Meadows of Memory: Images of Time and Tradition in American Art
and Culture (1992)
Mystic Chords of Memory: The Transformation of Tradition in
American Culture (1991)
Sovereignty and Liberty: Constitutional Discourse in American Culture
(1988)
Selvages and Biases: The Fabric of History in American Culture (1987)
A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in
American Culture (1986)
Spheres of Liberty: Changing Perceptions of Liberty in
American Culture (1986)
A Season of Youth: The American Revolution and
the Historical Imagination (1978)
Colonial New Yor{: A History (1975)
People of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of
American Civilization (1972)
Empire and Interest: The American Colonies and the
Politics of Mercantilism (1970)
Deputyes & Libertyes: The Origins of Representative Government in
Colonial America (1969)
A Rope of Sand: The Colonial Agents, British Politics, and the
American Revolution (1968)
E D I T O R
Contested Values: Democracy and Diversity in American Culture (1994)
The Origins of the American Constitution: A Documentary History
(1986)
The Past Before Us: Contemporary Historical Writing in the
United States (1980)
"What Is the Good of History?" Selected Letters of Carl L. Becker,
1900-1945 (1973)
The History of the Province of New-Yor/^, by William Smith, Jr. (1972)
The Contrapuntal Civilization: Essays Toward a New Understanding of
the American Experience (1971)
Politics and Society in Colonial America: Democracy or Deference?
(1967)
The
Lively
Arts
Crilbert oeldes ana the
Transformation ol (Cultural (Criticism
in the United Otates
MICHAEL KAMMEN
New York Oxford
OXFORD U N I V E R S I T Y PRESS
1996
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1996 by Michael Kamrnen
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
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without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kammen, Michael G.
The lively arts : Gilbert Scldcs and the transformation of
cultural criticism in the United States / Michael Kammen.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-509868-4
1. Seldes, Gilbert. 2. Art critics—United States—Biography.
3. Seldes, Gilbert—Influence. 4. Arts and society—United States-—
History—20th century. 5. Popular culture- -United States.
I. Title.
N7483.S38K36 1996
700'.92—dc20
[Bl 95-12446
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For
Mary Kelley and Michael J. Hogan
Arnita A. Jones
and
Robert C. Ritchie
With deep appreciation
for their friendship, support,
and superb professionalism
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(Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction 3
1. A Portrait of the Critic as a Young Man 15
2. On Being an Editor and Becoming a Critic 41
3. The Lively Arts and Cultural Criticism Revitalized 83
4. "It Was a Good Time for Magazine Writers" 121
5. Accessible Culture for Depressed Times 159
6. "The Movies Come from America" 209
7. Radio and Television 245
8. In Defense of Americanism 285
9. Coming to Terms with Mass Culture 315
10. Commerce, Communications, and Criticism 353
11. "I Am by Now Accustomed to Flashbacks" 377
Notes 409
Acknowledgments 465
Index 469
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Illustrations
[Unless otherwise noted in captions, illustrations have been provided by
courtesy of Marian Seldes and are reproduced with her permission.]
Gilbert Seldes, 1938, frontispiece
Stuart Davis mural created for World's Fair, 1939, 4
George Sergius Seldes and Anna Verna Seldes, 18
Gilbert Seldes, ca. 1922, 57
Thomas Eakins portrait of Francis J. Ziegler, ca. 1890, 73
E. E. Cummings pencil drawing of Gilbert Seldes, ca. 1922-23, 78
Albert Levering drawing for Puc\, Dec. 26, 1906, 91
Early 1930s Seldes family greeting card drawn
by George Herriman, 97
Alice Wadhams Hall, 1924, 106
Pablo Picasso drawing for Seldes marriage, 1924, 107
Gilbert and "Amanda" Seldes, mid-1930s, 108
Strawberry Hill, Croton Falls, N.Y., 1939, 151
Gaston Eachaise, Gilbert Seldes, 1931, 196