The Excesses of Seriousness in Literature

It is believed that literature exists to make men happy. Among left-wing writers in the West & in the Communist nations, literature is concerned with morality & the propagation of pol'al righteousness. In the West in general, however, militant moral literature is in eclipse & the demand is for 'insights' & 'increased consciousness' & 'heightened awareness' Either kind of intense seriousness in literature is rejected in favor of witty entertainment. The problem of reconciling truth & pleasure is reflected upon. A short play entitled 'Slumming,' printed in the Tulane Drama Review in 1964, is used as an example to illustrate the sadism & pain which modern literature slobbers over in its efforts toward the 'extermination of delight.' Fortunately, not all serious writers believe that human delight must be exterminated in the battle for truth & honesty. Some manage to dip horror in humor. It is argued that the new literary techniques of the avant-garde will not survive until the next generation. Those artists who are considered immortals usually curb their ingenuity somewhat &, in the midst of their creative fury, keep an eye open to the world's opinion. No experiment should be damned in advance, but in the arts as in nature, only the fit survive; '& the fit are the creatures robustly adapted to the earth on which they live.' M. Maxfield.