What Ever Happened To Modernism

Gabriel Josipovici’s scathing tone throughout What Ever Happened to Modernism refreshes readers who find most literature hollow and the modern social landscape overly accepting. Near the end of a prolific career in both fiction and non-fiction, Josipovici writes from the perspective of a well-read scholar in his field; his vast knowledge provides him with endless opportunities for analysis. His masterful command of language and his interpretive genius are both a blessing and a curse, however. These literary assets contribute to an air of elitism surrounding his writing, and ironically give him the sense of authority which his beloved Modernists so strongly rebuff. This sense of elitism distorts Josipovici’s view of literary forms outside of …show more content…
He describes the general public’s embrace of the “meretricious” and “sentimental” in the novels of Max Brod and Franz Werfel and cannot fathom how the public could “be that wrong.” This shows that he regards the poor common people as mere philistines too unrefined and ignorant to appreciate quality art. Immediately after, Josipovici expresses surprise that the work of Franz Kafka, “obscure, crabbed, incomprehensible even to [himself],” was “without merit,” as if these characteristics themselves marked compelling writing. Here, Josipovici and Modernists alike show a sense of arrogance in their expectation that these odd conventions, often not used by the public, prove their work to be superior in some way. This arrogance on the part of the Modernists is unnecessary; if their work is as revolutionary as it purports to be, it does not need to employ complex vocabulary and indecipherable constructions to proclaim the superior, higher-level nature of their work. It should be …show more content…
He criticizes a number of fellow novelists, and comments that “certain ways of writing or painting or composing ‘are not possible anymore’ because they are worn out, thin, lacking in interest.” Josipovici says this on dubious authority, considering it is difficult to make such an encompassing statement without historical perspective. Frankly, critiques of his contemporaries come across as similar to a club member admonishing the entrance of new members. While Josipovici has a point-mere imitation of Modernist writing is counterintuitive at its core-he is inexplicably resistant to contemporary writing. He dismisses accomplished and popular writers such as Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, and Ian McEwan as having left him personally “feeling that [he] and the world have been made smaller and meaner.” These claims are made on shaky grounds without a perspectival distance from the era in which they were written. It is yet another example of the authority Josipovici assumes and the self-important tone with which he writes. All things considered, What Ever Happened to Modernism is a valuable analysis of a highly influential movement in the arts. However, readers do themselves a favor if they are able to recognize the elitist and condescending tone Josipovici takes. An engaging text overall, What Ever Happened to Modernism is essentially authored by a Modernist-sympathizer who brings along clear,