Saturday, 16 May 2020
The myriad voices of the establishment
During lockdown I’ve taken a casual interest in detective stories from the twenties and thirties, sometimes called the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Holiday reading really but lockdown often feels like a strange kind of holiday.
Many forgotten authors of that period have been revived for the Kindle, presumably because they are out of copyright and there is a nostalgic demand for detective fiction which is at least easy to read. For example Moray Dalton who does not even have a proper Wikipedia entry as far as I can see. How obscure is that? In my experience some of these writers were not worth reviving, but some left us with carefully constructed and readable yarns with an appealing flavour of past times.
One interesting aspect is the comments left by readers. Many comments are useful because books of this kind seem to attract knowledgeable enthusiasts, as do films of the same period.
Yet inevitably there are comments left by people who obviously read the book but felt a need to bring up their politically correct reactions to the social mores of the twenties and thirties. They see certain social differences and assumptions as social defects to be mildly deplored from a superior modern vantage point. What they do not appear to understand is that their outlook merely reflects a modern establishment narrative. Their view of these bygone writers is not their own, their voice not their own voice. They speak for the establishment.
Obviously this is something we see all the time, especially during lockdown, but the book comments bring home just how many voices the establishment has.
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7 comments:
Golden age detective novels are very interesting historical artefacts. For example the eminent lawyer Cyril Hare wrote "An English Murder" and cast Lewis Namier as the outsider detective. And the hyper eminent JC Masterman, vice chancellor of Oxford University, master spy etc etc also parodied Namier in his detective story "an Oxford Tragedy". The undercurrents of who knows whom etc are very revealing. The establishment at work at the cover up
Having been to see "The Call of The Wild" just before the cinemas were closed I'm working my way through "The Complete Novels of Jack London": the revisionists would have a field day with them. I do think that their need to read through 21st century glasses is, as you say, due to indoctrination, but also the inability to apply their minds and read any other way.
Caall of the Wild is, of course, nastier in tooth and claw on paper than it has been allowed to appear before 21st century softies on film.
"Yet inevitably there are comments left by people who obviously read the book but felt a need to bring up their politically correct reactions to the social mores of the twenties and thirties. "
Well, it's easy to attack fictional characters, as they don't argue back. Nor do the people who might have sympathised with them, because they are long dead. And the authors don't put up much of a defence these days either, mostly being in their fifteenth decade or older. The lack of argument means you must be right, that you have utterly crushed those beastly sexists and racists of yesteryear.
I imagine there are quite a lot of right-minded amateur critics who are triggered by Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Britons of African Descent".
Mrs W42 spends all her 'kitchen hours' listening to old BBC radio plays via iplayer, the Philip Marlowes, Miss Marple etc. They are not even that old but were produced just before the BBC got hijacked by lefties with socio-political motives. it's great to hear a real story, well produced using clear spoken English and unadulterated by social justice themes, metoo, BAME or lgbt propaganda.
When it comes to flogging off the BBC the only gems, the real gold, will be in its back catalogue.
Can you imagine there being a demand for reruns of the News Quiz or HIGNFY in 20 or 30 years time, apart from academics researching the demise of a national treasure.
Radio4 Extra is a godsend. But it is now starting to broadcast programmes from after The Fall.
Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451 , but added to the bad books are now bad audio and video. Only by individuals hoarding the non-pc stuff will people of the future learn about Zulu, Till Death Do Us Part, Toytown, Blazing Saddles, etc. etc..
"Only by individuals hoarding the non-pc stuff will people of the future learn about Zulu, Till Death Do Us Part, Toytown, Blazing Saddles, etc. etc.."
Good point, Doonhamer.
When we shuffle off, they'll have Del Boy, Brass, Lovejoy etc to get rid of - I hope they sell them on Ebay, they're worth quite a lot now, and will be more after the thought police have banned them forever!
Have you noticed, Mr H, that comments become more f-wordy as the prog/book/song etc. gets more silly?
Graeme - thanks for that. I've now downloaded a sample of "An English Murder" onto my Kindle to peruse after I've finished my current book.
Jannie - that's another writer I keep meaning to try. There is so much out there though. Bookshops barely scratch the surface.
Sam - Mrs H and I sometimes smile about variations on those "Ten Little Britons of African Descent". The things language does to us.
Woodsy - I think we'd like older radio plays but never quite get round to exploring the idea.
Doonhamer - just recently I've been watching a few clips from Blazing Saddles. Before lockdown I showed the baked beans clip to Grandson who thought it was hilarious.
Scrobs - before I stopped watching TV I certainly noticed the way silly comedy becomes more f-wordy and even more so if there is a stage version. A silly expression and an f-word comment can take the place of a punchline.
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