Showing 36 results

[Leamington?]—Has been in Warwickshire. Is going to London on Monday [3rd], but will probably be able to come up to Cambridge on Wednesday.

[St Paul Seminary, St Paul, Minnesota.]—Is sorry he was unable to see Smith in New York, and apologises for appearing pessimistic about England. Today was the first registration for conscription, but he will not be able to declare himself as a conscientious objector till later, if at all. Is reading Stratmann’s 'The Church and War' and is trying to get hold of Gerald Vann’s book ['Morality and War']. Will send him the 'Catholic Worker'. Is expecting things to go well at the seminary, but a homecoming of old priests and a visit by the editor of the 'Irish Literary Review', ‘the worst sort of Bloomsbury man’, provoked personal crises. Recommends Berdyaev’s 'The Bourgeois Mind'. Is cheered by the contempt with which the other seminarians treat the compulsory course in education. Leavis’s article in September’s 'Scrutiny' shows that he is becoming increasingly discontent with his position of ‘standardless “strenuous centrality”’. Is praying for Leavis and for [F. W.] Bradbrook. Admits the justice of Queenie [Leavis]’s remarks on the ‘Catholic covert apologist’, as treated by Orwell, and refers to the cliquishness of the ‘Martindale–Ronald Knox group’. Asks for prayers in support of his desire to become a priest, and encourages Smith to consider the same step. Wilfrid is married and Dennis is consoling himself with gardening. Bewley now finds 'Scrutiny' even more justified than he did at Downing, but he would not want the ‘longingness’ with which he looks back to be fulfilled. Smith’s advice has helped him in his struggles with his attitude towards the Church. Is considering going into a third order with the Dominicans. Reiterates the archbishop’s plans for him [see 1/8]. Asks how long Smith will be in Venezuela, and suggests he consider joining the priesthood in America.

St Paul Seminary, 2200 Grand Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota.—Smith’s disgust at the failings of the Church and his own wretchedness since leaving England might both, he suggests, be relieved ‘by drawing apart from the surface of things’ in the manner described by St John of the Cross. Recommends he avoid talking to priests, especially while he is among Catholics whose faith is mainly animism. Refers to the bombing of London, and quotes in consolation St Jerome’s reflections on the sack of Rome. His coming to the seminary has saved him from ‘gibbering imbecility’. Encourages Smith to distract himself with literature.

[Excelsior Springs, Missouri.]—Is at home on vacation. Matters at the seminary have deteriorated since he last wrote, and he has been struggling to distinguish the ‘Church as it is’ from the ‘vulgarity of its action at the practical level’. Is determined to remain there till the end of the year (May), but hopes to find an alternative in the mean time. However, America seems an even more impossible place to live than England, not only illiterate but arrogant, and despite its failings the seminary is a refuge. The alternative may be to teach English in China, Japan, Egypt, or India, as others from Cambridge have. Has heard that Leavis insulted Wilson Knight at a meeting of the Doughty Society. Edward Morley sends greetings.

[Excelsior Springs, Missouri.]—Qualifies the criticisms of the Church expressed in his last letter. Is returning to the seminary tomorrow in a state of distress arising from apparent trivialities, such as the ‘stupidity’ of the studies and the objectionable characters of the priests. Is praying that during the last half of the [academic] year an alternative will present itself that will take him out of America. Has read some of Hugh MacDiarmid’s poetry, but found it sickening. Birch Moody has moved to the medical corps, Wilfrid and Dennis are living quietly, and Bayliss, who was sent down for a drunken episode, is doing forestry work. The few of Leavis’s undergraduates who remain in Cambridge are miserable.

[St Paul Seminary, St Paul, Minnesota.]—Thanks him for his advice. Promises to do nothing rash, but finds it hard to be away from literature so much. Agrees with Smith’s criticisms of 'Scrutiny' and Leavis. ‘Leavis has addressed the world so long on the question “Brother, are you saved (literarily)?” that he’s crippled his own achievement, and filled all his undergraduates with an illusory sense of pre-election.’ Criticises Miss [M. C.] Bradbrook’s analysis of Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’, and discusses Eliot’s last poem ['East Coker'], a Picasso exhibition, and Maritain’s 'Degrees of Knowledge'. Has learnt from 'Scrutiny' that Smith is working on 'Macbeth', and encourages him to continue with his writing. Is thinking of trying to get a fellowship at Harvard, seeing that John Berryman, who writes ‘impossibly bad poetry’, has got one. [Mortimer] Adler lectured at the seminary yesterday on ‘the intellectual and moral virtues in their relation to a liberal education’. ‘He’s unmistakably the “Bleistien [sic] with a cigar” type of Jew who takes St Thomas apart and puts him together again like a mechanic.’ Defends his interest in St John of the Cross.

St Paul Seminary, 2200 Grand Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota.—Has come to believe that his difficulties at the seminary are due to his own ignorance rather than any major defects in the place. Discusses the work of D. H. Lawrence, with reference to St John of the Cross. Recommends Van Wyck Brooks’s observations on Henry James. Has written to Matthiessen at Harvard in hopes of getting a fellowship. Matthiessen’s remarks on Leavis in 'The Achievement of T. S. Eliot' seem ‘painfully deserved’. Discusses Lady Mary Wortley’s letters and the work of George Eliot and Browning. Apologises for writing at length, but the Church and Cambridge are fighting day and night in his mind and Smith is the only person who can bring even a temporary reconciliation. Leavis is finding it difficult to get material for Scrutiny. Sympathises with Smith’s difficulties in Venezuela.

[St Paul Seminary, St Paul, Minnesota.]—Responds to Smith’s comments on D. H. Lawrence. Has heard from Wilfrid, Dennis, Morley, and Preston about the latest number of 'Scrutiny', which seems to be characterised by bickering. Preston wishes Smith were at Cambridge ‘to keep Leavis’s – and "Scrutiny"’s – aberrations under control’. Leavis’s undergraduates, including [Eric] Baker and [Godfrey] Lienhardt, are turning away from him. The cause seems to be Leavis’s sudden turn against Eliot, whose critical writing he declared, during an address by Willey to the Doughty Society, to be ‘largely specious’. Traversi is back from Italy and Harding’s prestige is growing. Queenie is much better, but Leavis is depressed by the change at Cambridge caused by the call-up of the nineteen-year-olds. Dennis, who has almost given up English in favour of gardening, says that Stephen Spender is now ‘our top poet’ and that ‘no one loves Auden anymore’, while everyone is disclaiming their communism and Churchill is popular with nearly every plane of opinion. Reflects on his reading of Jonson, Plautus, and Terence. Is becoming reconciled to the seminary. Compares favourably the readings appointed for Holy Saturday with modernist poems.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri.—Discusses D. H. Lawrence’s views on G. F. Watts and Cézanne. Has heard that Smith has renewed his subscription to 'Scrutiny', has lost weight, and is being sent funds to establish a library. Traversi has been chosen for a post in Madrid, which Bewley supposes is the one Smith was considering. Encourages him to write to Preston, who is in the early stages of consumption. Responds to his comments on Van Wyck Brooks and refers to Matthiessen’s 'American Renaissance'. Eliot’s latest poem, 'The Dry Salvages', is inferior to 'East Coker'. Is unsure what to read and finds his scholastic studies arid, but painting is helping to sustain him. The Catholic church in Cambridge has suffered bomb damage.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri.—Is concerned by the infrequency of Smith’s letters. Has heard that Leavis has been praising Smith’s 'As You Like It' article. ‘"Scrutiny" threatens to die after the June issue. Leavis can’t get articles for it; but I think he’s publishing a book on practical criticism this summer.’ Is now home for the summer.

[Cambridge.]—Has been told at the Friary that confirmation is not today but Sunday [9th]. He cannot come up then, but may be able to make arrangements at Westminster Cathedral. Has been visiting Wilfrid [Mellers], who says that Rubbra wants Smith and Bewley to visit him. ‘My rooms in Knightsbridge are very good. Thank Rojas for me.’ Is leaving some photos.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri.—Is relieved to hear from him. He intends to return to the seminary, but with reluctance. Now that Russia has entered the war it is difficult to anticipate the Church’s actions. ‘The Pope is quite capable, I think, of blessing a banner for Hitler to carry in front of his army in the new Holy War.’ Is sorry Smith was upset by the news of Leavis and his undergraduates. [Godfrey] Lienhardt is making a name for himself by his views on 'Lear'. In helping Henri [Dulac] with a essay on Leavis he was struck by how useful the narrow critical range of the early reviews in 'Scrutiny' is in giving young men [sic] ‘control over a critical equipment, not too difficult to master, without which they would probably be left inextricably tangled in bibliographies like Henn used to present his students’. Discusses the June number. Apologises for his manner of presenting his views on Lawrence and dissents from Leavis’s estimation of him as a literary critic. Asks Smith to recommend criticism of Shakespeare’s comedies and discusses Bradley’s 'Shakespearean Tragedy' and [Wilson Knight’s] 'The Wheel of Fire'. Asks his opinion of George Eliot, referring to Mrs Craik’s 'John Halifax, Gentleman'. Is finding it difficult to read and is depressed by a sense of deteriorating value in literature and the Church. Sends a photo of himself and Dulac.

[Excelsior Springs, Missouri?]—Has received his letter, which was forwarded to him while he was at St Louis. Discusses their discomfort in their respective situations and their attachment to Cambridge. Is determined not to return to the seminary if possible, and is considering teaching in a preparatory school. Has finally met an American family that reassures him. He became acquainted with them through the eldest son, John Farrelly, who is at St Louis University. Gives an account of the family and their home in rural Missouri, referring to their odd combination of poverty and elegance, the curious personalities of the family members and their black servant, the song ‘Strange Fruit’ sung by the children, and to the number of ‘maniacs’ in the district. John Farrelly, who is, he thinks, the first American with whom he has felt in complete sympathy, may go to Cambridge in a few years. Refers to John Pick of Boston College as an example of an affected New England type. Thanks Smith for his comments on George Eliot. Is considering, in an extreme case, returning to England and joining the Quaker ambulance unit. A Jesuit friend [McCabe] has recommended that he stay away from the seminary. The latest Scrutiny seems ‘rather stock stuff’. Points out that those undergraduates who were most desirous to have Smith back were not setting him up in opposition to Leavis, but rather as the only person who could supply Leavis’s acknowledged deficiencies. Encourages him not to worry about his faith.

Monticello College, Alton, Illinois.—Has left the seminary and is now teaching ‘Criticism of the Novel’ at a girls’ college. Describes the setting of the college and the character of the girls and staff. Is reading to fill the time, but has read nothing for over a year which has made a substantial contribution to his life. Does not plan to stay at Monticello for more than a year. Discusses his mixed feelings towards the Church and the seminary. His friend at St Louis [McCabe] has suggested he might do better at St Anselm’s Priory in Washington, DC. McLuhan’s ‘performance’ seems increasingly inadequate, but on the other hand the Church seems ‘horrible’. Something of his feelings towards it are expressed by Orozco’s mural ‘Christ Destroys His Cross’. Is going to ask Leavis whether John Farrelly might get a scholarship at Downing. Has had news from Gordon and is delighted to hear about Father Hilary [see 1/91].

Excelsior Springs, Missouri.—Refers to the interruption in their correspondence and explains why he has not written. Expresses his discontent with the Church, which he supposes is connected to his hatred of the war, and discusses his objection to his friend ‘Sergius’ [John] Farrelly’s decision to join the merchant marines in the hope of achieving a ‘personal catharsis’. Has just returned from Santa Fe, where he spent a year painting, while living in an adobe house in the orchard of the painter Olive Rush. Has had an exhibition, but will probably not paint much more, as his main object was to familiarise himself with the medium in order to become a better critic. Explains why he thinks that, with the possible exception of Eliot, the greatest artistic achievements today must be in painting rather than literature, contrasting Rouault with Mauriac and Picasso with Hemingway, and discusses his view of literature as ‘the most human of the arts’, with reference to Timon of Athens and Koestler’s Darkness at Noon. Reflects that this unplanned digression on literature was perhaps prompted by the memory of their conversations together, which nothing has replaced, except perhaps his friendship with Farrelly, whose qualities he reiterates. He himself will probably have to go into a conscientious objectors’ project soon, a prospect he does not look forward to. Dennis, who is no longer living with Wilfrid and Vera [Mellers], is engaged to a girl ‘with the incredible name of Daisy Chainy [sic]’. Gordon is in Egypt, Edward Morley and Remi Preston are teaching, and Birch Moody is in Africa. Urges him to write.

415 West 115th Street, Apartment 21, New York City.—Is anxious at not hearing from him. Having failed the physical examination for the conscientious objectors’ camp he has come to New York, mainly for the galleries. There he has made the acquaintance of an actor named Kostya Hubbard, and Father Gardiner, now literary editor of America, lives nearby. Gives an account of John Farrelly’s visit to the Leavises at Cambridge. Wilfrid and Dennis have quarrelled slightly, and Birch Moody is still in Africa. Is thinking of getting a job with a fashionable magazine. Is just about to meet the wife of the poet George Barker [Jessica Barker] and is meeting Djuna Barnes next week.

551 Hudson Street, New York City.—Is pleased that Smith has returned to Cambridge. It was perhaps fortunate that they did not meet in New York [see 1/10] as he was ‘all gibberish and nerves’ at the time, but he looks forward to meeting him again under the right circumstances. Has lost touch with St Bonaventure’s Friary [in Cambridge], but would be glad of news of his acquaintances there. Has heard that Smith is contemplating, or writing, a book on Shakespearian comedy. Praises his Scrutiny article on Much Ado about Nothing, and recommends The Love-Game Comedy by David Lloyd Stephenson. Sends greetings to Parker, Smith’s aunt [Hannah Smith], and the Leavises. Urges him to write.

551 Hudson Street, New York City.—Was delighted to hear from him. He often thinks of what he gained from him at Cambridge. Is sorry Smith is not continuing with his book on Shakespearian comedy, and urges him not to be hampered by a sense of incapacity. Is thinking of producing an edition of the best revenge tragedies, and of getting a PhD next year. Would like to return to Cambridge, but supposes it would be impossible, so is reluctantly considering Columbia and Yale. Is increasingly afflicted by the unhappiness and ugliness of life in America. The intellectual circles, typified by Partisan Review, are worst of all, and beyond this atmosphere is only ‘a horde of barking barbarians’. This deepening blackness, prefigured in Henry James’s American Scene, is likely to be accelerated in New York. [Henry] Luce is planning to launch a new literary quarterly with the intention of putting the little magazines out of print, while, according to one of the editors of the Dial Press, the publishing houses are planning to combine to push out the less successful books. William Empson, however, is having his collected poems published by Dial next season, having apparently ‘just got in under the ropes’. On top of all this the activities of the stage hands union have made decent theatre impossible. Still, he is in a better mood than usual, having just seen John Gielgud’s revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, in which Margaret Rutherford was wonderful. Asks for Aloysius’s address and thanks Smith for news of the other friars. At present all his time is leisure, but he will probably eventually be compelled to teach, in which case a PhD will be essential. Has not yet read Parker’s book on Calderón.

3 Salisbury Villas, Station Road, Cambridge.—Has heard that Smith’s Browne lecture went well. Though little changed outwardly, Cambridge seems to have lost much of its elegance and intellectual excitement. Is seeing a lot of the Leavises and has overcome his initial irritation at ‘Queenie’s hard distinctions between the “respectable poor” and the factory workers’, but is shocked by their high opinion of Mason [the new Assistant Director of Studies in English at Downing College]. Has received a letter from Cox, critical of Scrutiny. Downing ‘lacks a dimension’ without Smith there. His room is not as bad as it first seemed.

3 Salisbury Villas, Station Road, Cambridge.—Is applying for a Fulbright grant to enable him to stay in Cambridge. Asks for a reference.

Downing College, [Cambridge].—Hopes that Smith had an agreeable journey back to Switzerland. Is frustrated that, renewing their acquaintance after a long interval, they had only begun to talk with ease again during their last walk together, particularly as he felt unable to accept Smith’s invitation to work with him in Fribourg. Has told Ian Doyle that Smith is looking for an assistant. Doyle himself is looking for a place and he also knows some Downing graduates (‘Catholics, I believe’) who might be interested. Doyle recently returned to Cambridge, but is leaving next year, as he has not got on with Leavis. Leavis will probably be blamed for Doyle’s departure, but Bewley thinks it only fair to point out that Doyle has been the centre of a ‘whispering campaign’ against Leavis and has made a secret alliance with Cuttle against Leavis’s plans to strengthen the links between Downing and America. Has had his first long conversation with Queenie, and found her charming. Refers to her complimentary remarks about Smith. Encourages Smith to send some of his essays to American quarterlies, particularly as there is a general absence of good Catholic writers. Has not yet been able to generate much enthusiasm for his thesis and is unsettled about where to live.

[13 Beaufort Gardens, Knightsbridge?]—Has now been confirmed. Is thinking of coming to see him next week. Has located the Wallace Collection and the Constables in the Victoria and Albert, but could not find Magnus Martyr. Will get another copy of the missing photo. Hopes that Smith will enjoy his meeting with Father Gilbey.

17 Barton Road, Cambridge.—Has recently returned from Paris and Chartres, and hopes to go to Italy in the spring. Father Gilbey has been ‘elevated to the purple’ [created a domestic prelate] and has taken to wearing a top hat. Doyle’s thesis has been rejected, though with permission to rewrite it. Leavis sees this as evidence that the Faculty Board is seeking to kill graduate study, at least in English, by subversive means, and Bewley thinks he is probably right. Peter Lienhardt has a good position in the ‘decoding department of the army’, Cuttle has retired as senior tutor, and construction of the Downing chapel has actually begun. He will probably have to return to America in the summer, but Marjorie Nicolson thinks that, despite the Korean crisis, he has a good chance of getting a junior fellowship at Harvard. Leavis has written to propose his candidacy and Crane Brinton has sent an encouraging reply. Requests a reference from Smith. Asks whether Smith will be going to Italy or to England at Easter. Is going to Salisbury Cathedral this weekend. As the time to leave England approaches, his affection for it increases. ‘I imagine the first six months in America will be a grim business, especially as most of the people I rather liked have more or less permanently moved to Europe in the interval.’ Mason will not be returning to Cambridge the year after next, as his Rockefeller grant has not been renewed. ‘I believ[e] Leavis is overjoyed. He blames Mason for having been indiscreet with Queenie!’ Has seen a lot of Ralph [Leavis], who comes to the Downing Music Society, and is disturbed by his behaviour. ‘The poor boy moves, to an extent no one had suspected as long as he was only momentarily in view on trips up from Dartington, in a paralysis of terror.’ Leavis’s new book, «The Common Pursuit», now in proof, will, he thinks, be good, though marred by ‘Queenie’s insistence that Leavis include all the reviews in which he has anciently insulted Tillyard’. Asks whether Smith is going to print his Graham Greene lecture. ‘Leavis doesn’t really know anything about that kind of novel, and is constitutionally in-capable of learning.’

St Edmund’s House, Cambridge.—He said Mass on Sunday for Smith and Bewley. Objects to Smith’s remark that ‘the Church seems rotten … from top to bottom’, and refers him to Vonier’s The Spirit and the Bride. Cautions him against leaning too much towards the ‘natural’ [material?] side of things, and encourages him to trust in God. Asks whether he has seen Canon Marshall.

Hotel Ivanhoe, 8 Harcourt Street, Dublin.—The formalities of customs at Liverpool were tiresome, but things are going better now. Is leaving for Galway this afternoon [to board a ship to New York, with other evacuees from Europe]. Has been impressed by the people of Dublin and thinks that Smith would be happy living there; Trinity College Library is beautiful. He saw Father Reeves before leaving, but was unable to say goodbye to Parker. Has been to mass at the Franciscan church.

66 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa.—Was prompted to write by hearing that Preston had sent Smith a copy of his ‘Four Quartets’ Rehearsed. Leavis says that Smith is ‘very fit’. Asks what his plans are. Enright himself has got married and is waiting to be released from conscripted labour. Nominally this ought to happen in July, but he doubts whether the National Service Office will release him so soon. Is hoping to get a minor post in a minor university. Commends Preston’s commentary. His own commentary on Goethe’s Faust has been rejected by fourteen publishers. Morley has had a daughter, to add to his two stepsons. Bewley ‘appears to have fallen among charlatans—the artistic set in New York’, though he seems happier of late. Wilfrid [Mellers]—who is, he thinks, now free of farm work, though still in the country—has a book on ‘Music & Society’ in the press. Morley recently became senior English master at Warwick. Enright and his friends often used to reflect on what they owe to Smith’s supervisions. Hopes to meet him soon and introduce him to his wife, who is teaching at various local schools.

[Excelsior Springs, Missouri.]—Has felt unsettled since he came to America, but has done some painting, including a portrait of Leavis. Criticises various priests he has met. Has tried reading 'The Grapes of Wrath', but found it boring. Is considering teaching for a year, and wants to go to Boston this winter. Is going to Kansas City to consult Father McCabe. Praises American Jesuits, wryly. The early stages of the presidential election have pushed the war into the background. The latest 'Scrutiny' has not come yet, nor his books. Has asked Leavis for a letter of introduction to the American universities, and has been told that he (Bewley) got a first. McLuhan arrived about a week ago and is now in St Louis.

66 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa.—Marius [Bewley] is living in New York with a man who illustrates children’s books [Garry MacKenzie]. Is sorry that he and his wife saw so little of Smith in Cambridge. Hopes his sinus trouble has gone. Is suffering from a fever.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri.—Is sorry that Smith’s ‘old distress’ has returned, and criticises Father Reeves’s response. Has felt lethargic since returning to America, but Mac [McLuhan] is ‘even worse off’ and Corinne [McLuhan] has suffered a nervous collapse after a series of parties. Deplores the current patriotic mood in America and the attitude of the Church, as exemplified by Jim Farley and Father Coughlin. Is anxious for the arrival of his books. Would appreciate some guidance from Leavis about his career. Sends greetings to the Singletons, Father Gilbey, and the Leavises. Has received «Scrutiny» and is reading «Gil Blas». Dennis [Enright] is ‘going to Evesham to pick plums with students from Birmingham’ and Remi Preston is thinking of moving to Leamington. Asks how Godfrey [Lienhardt] and ‘the young man who was psychoanalyzed’ fared in their exams; Birch Moody did well, but Illingworth is in a panicky state. Looks forward to the publication of Smith’s book on Shakespeare. Will return to England when he can. ‘Christopher Dawson’s last piece in Scrutiny was really quite true, & Leavis’s constant talk about standards & intelligent living seems more important to me the more hopeless it becomes.’

[Excelsior Springs, Missouri?]—Is depressed by the moral tone of America and more than ever convinced of the necessity of political activity. Expresses his low opinion of Roosevelt and Willkie, and encloses a photograph and a cutting to illustrate his feelings. Leavis and Cuttle sent him letters of recommendation, but most of the vacancies had been filled by the time he applied. Has ‘half a promise’ of a job at Vassar next year. Louisiana University, one of the places he applied to, is said to have become ‘nothing but a foot ball factory’. Has resumed his plan to study for the priesthood and has been encouraged by some good elements in the American Church, such as the «Catholic Worker» group in New York. Is considering three alternatives: the Paulists, the Benedictines at St Anselm’s Priory in Washington DC, and the secular priesthood in Minnesota. Intends to prepare himself for a period in ten or fifteen years’ time when he expects that intelligent literary activity will have ceased to perform any function in America and the only useful function will be of a political nature. In an American college he would only ‘succumb’, but he might be of some use as a priest. Is grieved at Smith’s ‘emotional and spiritual crisis’ and is glad he is no longer seeking Father John [Reeves]’s advice. Asks him to tell the Franciscans of his plans. Expects his books to arrive next week. Advises him not to be upset by Christopher Dawson [see 1/85]. Will have the «Catholic Worker» sent to him.