GETTING TO. KNOW THE U.S.A.

New Zealand Listener, Volume 7, Issue 170, 25 September 1942, Page 7

GETTING TO. KNOW THE U.S.A.

Talks On American Literature From 2YA OW long does it take for a new country to develop a literature? And what is it that stimulates | its growth? In the older countries literature comes out of the misty ages, complete with myths, legends, sagas, and ballads. This wealth of story is built up from the heroic deeds of the past, from the traditions of a people, perhaps from religious rites and customs. It was the religious ceremonies of ancient Greece that produced the Greek drama, just as modern drama may be said to have its roots in the religious plays of the Middle Ages. But the new countries, the U.S.A., and the Dominions of the British Empire, are in a different position. Insofar as they have roots, these are derived from Europe. In art, literature and music the British people who have spread themselves round the world tend to look back to the Mother Country, not merely for inspiration, but also for applause. The U.S.A., however, is the oldest New Country and, it may be argued, is culturally round the corner. Much as American culture derives from the Old World, greatly as it has benefited all through its history from the influx of notable artists, writers, scientists, and musicians from abroad, something is now beginning to crystallise that is wholly American, and that may become one of the vital forces contributing to the sum total of world culture, At the present time, it is everybody’s business to understand America: not only the America which produces guns and tanks, battleships and Boston bombers, but also the America behind Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck, Theodore Dreiser, or Dos Passos. To understand America and American literature one must go back to its roots, and this is what Professor Ian Gordon (Professor of English at Victoria University College), proposes to do in his Winter Course talks from 2YA. The series, entitled "American Literature," will begin on Monday, October 5, at 7.30 p.m., with a talk on "The New England Tradition," continuing with talks on "The Novel in New America," "Whitman and his Followers," "Modern Poetry," and "Critics And Thinkers."