ART AND LITERATURE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 117, 13 November 1931, Page 8

ART AND LITERATURE

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION

CRITICISM AND CRITICS

IS ART TAKEN SERIOUSLY ?

By "Interested Onlooker."

I have been interested in the discussion arising from the reported statements of Miss Elizabeth Blake on art and literature in this country, and while not desiring to enter the arena, I should like to offer one or two points for consideration.

In the first place, it is only fair to acknowledge that the Temarks of a critic of Miss Blake's standing are not to be lightly ignored; and in the second place, nothing is easier than misrepresentation. These statements were presumably made in an address of some length, and would almost certainly be amplified even if they were given in their reported form. And thirdly, while it is natural for us to resent any slur being cast upon our fair name, it is only reasonablo to inquire whether there be any foundation for such a criticism. It is perhaps well, also, to remember that Miss Blake, coming from "the centre of things," would almost certainly view such matters differently from us.

BUILDING UP A TRADITION.

'To turn now to the points at issue. As a matter of fact we aro isolated m New Zealand, are wo not? Consider how long it takes for current English publications to reach us, and how largo a proportion of such publications never reach us at all; moreover, the increase in cost has alwaya to be reckoned with, and this becomes an important matter to bookstall enthusiasts. Our opportunities are necessarily limited by our geographical position, as well as by other factors, and this holds of art m all its forms. Wo have to depend on prints of old or modern masterpieces, for the most part—though no one would deny the excellence of some of these reproductions; we can only have occasional visits from great living musicians, not "International Celebrity" concerts onco a fortnight; and as Miss Blake remarks, visiting companies are becoming fewer. We are indeed one of the outposts, far from the centres of cultural development, though that is our misfortune and not our fault. The question of indigenous art and literature comes up at this point, and most people would concedo that our development in this direction has been hindered until comparatively recently by circumstances over which we had no control. A hundred years' residence in a new country is a short space of time in which to produce an original and distinctive literature; the practical demands of early settlement wero great, and left little leisure for artistic development in any sphere. While that first stage, we feel, lies behind us, and our indigenous art and literature are developing, it is well to realise that the process of building up a literary and artistic tradition is in general a slow DRAMATIC WORK. The remarks of Mrs. Maslen and Mr. Wauchop on dramatic work are both reassuring and final, dealing as they do with facts with which the writers are intimately familiar, and no one would deny that there is a very real enthusiasm for dramatic work generally. In both primary and secondary schools this form of self-expression receives adequate attention, and the work, of the various repertory societies and playreading circles throughout the country provides undeniable proof of the interest of the general public. So much for drama. What of literature? Once again it would be foolish to deny that there is a most heartening enthusiasm for this subject among various sections of the community, as the. writers quoted above have pointed out. But there are some curious anomalies which strike the most casual and unprejudiced observer, and of these perhaps the most striking,is the English syllabus for matriculation and Pass B.A. If the bitter complaints of those youths and maidens now wending their way daily to the Winter Show building aro to bo believed, the greater part of the Pass degree iv English consists of linguistic study, and the literary work is to all intents and purposes restricted to a period, of tome fifty years, which may fall in any one of the five "ages" extending from 157!) to the death of Tennyson. The literary curriculum, therefore, can hardly be described as extensive, and it is questionable -whether the proportion of Anglo-Saxon and middla English is justified by tho requirements of the average pass student. The matriculation syllabus also, as stated in tho N.Z. University Calendar, reveals a similar preponderanee_ of formal study, with little mention of literature, as a comparison with the corresponding English and Scottish examinations will testify. The emphasis is on language rather than literature, and it is the enthusiasm of teachers and pupils which help out the deficiencies of tho syllabus and leads to the creditable result described by Mr. Wauchop. OUR ATTITUDE TO CRITICISM. It is perhaps not out of place to consider briefly the question which really underlies both Miss Blake's criticism and the resentment it has caused, namely, our attitude as a whole to such matters. Whether we as a people take our art seriously is not for an onlooker to say. The practical man usually considers poetry and the stuff that dreams aro made on as something superfluous—a luxury, if nothing worse, and Western civilisation stresses the material value of most' things. It would be too much to hope that we had escaped such a tendency" altogether, and with all our enthusiasm, there aro some disconcerting straws which indicate a contrary wind. The recent discussion on organ recitals recurs to mind most uncomfortably at .this point; tho hour may be an unhappy one, but there is no gainsaying the meagre attendance! And one is forced to admit that a wrestling match will always draw .1 larger crowd than a pianoforte recital. Galsworthy should be a fairly well known nuthor, and his "Old English" was well attended, but it did not run for six weeks continuously in one theatre, as did the "Gold Diggers or! Broadway" in Auckland. On Saturday afternoon queues for "East of Borneo" extended beyond the kerb outsido the theatre; when the writer went to see "Escape," starring no less famous an actor than Sir Gerald dv Maurier, there were rows of empty benches. Two years ago we had a rare visit from a grand opera company; that company gave only ono Wagnerian opera, "Lohengrin," and the audience at the second performance could not have exceeded 250. Trun, it was during the election I THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION. Illustrations could be multiplied, from the inquiry, in all seriousness, of an intelligent sixth form pupil, "whether Shakespeare was ever read for pleasure," to the remark of a salesman in a not insignificant bookshop in one of tho four centres not more than fifteen years ago. Asked for a certain novel by Thomas Hardy, ho lookod puzzled, and finally inquired in bewildered innocence whether it was a new author. Joking apart, the fundamental question still remains: whether we take nrt, in the wider sense, seriously, and it is questionable! whether an unbiased

judgment would give other than a qualified assent by way of answer. Wo are a practical people—wo have had to bo—and have still only a limited time to spare for the things of the mind. This applies even to those who aro ostensibly occupied with the pursuit of knowledge and art as a vocation. Our university students of literature aro very often part-time students, and such a state of affairs is hardly favourable to vital literary development in them or through them in their later spheres of influence. This is not due to any fault of theirs, but tho fact remains, and no amount of enthusiasm will explain it away. Enthusiasm to be well directed must bo backed by knowledge, deep and wide, accurate and calm, and our pre-occupation with the actual should not blind us to the inexorable demands of the ideal, however far off at present that r-ay be.