Interviews With Northrop Frye (Collected Works of Northrop Frye Book 24)

"Although Northrop Frye's first book, Fearful Symmetry (1947), elevated the reputation of William Blake from the status of a minor eccentric to that of a major Romantic poet, Frye in fact saw Blake as a poet (and, consequently, himself as a critic) not of the Romantic period, but of the Renaissance. As such, Frye's meditations on the Renaissance are particularly valuable. This volume collects six of Frye's notebooks and five sets of his typed notes on subjects related to Renaissance literature." "Michael Dolzani divides these notes into three categories: those on Spenser and the epic tradition; those on Shakespearean drama and, more widely, the dramatic tradition from Old Comedy to the masque; and those on lyric poetry and non-fiction prose. The organization of this volume reflects the comprehensive study of Renaissance symbolism in three volumes that Frye proposed to the Guggenheim Foundation in 1949. Frye received a Guggenheim fellowship, but never completed this work; nevertheless, his application, part of which is also included here, is an important document. It not only reveals the outlines of Frye's thinking about literature, it also uncovers his plans for his future creative life during the crucial period between his completion of Fearful Symmetry and his absorption in the writing of Anatomy of Criticism." "In addition to providing insight into Frye's thinking process, the material collected here is of unique importance because much of it touches on topics not fully explored in his other published works."--Jacket.;Contents -- Preface -- Credits -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1 What Has Become of Conversation? -- 2 On Human Values -- 3 University -- 4 Literary Trends of the Twentieth Century -- 5 The Voice and the Crowd -- 6 Breakthrough -- 7 Style and Image in the Twentieth Century -- 8 Dix Ans avant la Neo-critique -- 9 B.K. Sandwell -- 10 Engagement and Detachment -- 11 Lâ€?Anti-McLuhan -- 12 Student Protest Movement -- 13 CRTC Guru -- 14 The Only Genuine Revolution -- 15 The Limits of Dialogue -- 16 “There Is Really No Such Thing As Methodologyâ€? Contents 5 Preface 15 Credits 21 Abbreviations 25 Introduction 29 1. What Has Become of Conversation? 47 2. On Human Values 59 3. University 69 4. Literary Trends of the Twentieth Century 74 5. The Voice and the Crowd 78 6. Breakthrough 94 7. Style and Image in the Twentieth Century 97 8. Dix Ans avant la Néo-critique 104 9. B.K. Sandwell 109 10. Engagement and Detachment 110 11. L’Anti-McLuhan 120 12. Student Protest Movement 125 13. CRTC Guru 134 14. The Only Genuine Revolution 191 15. The Limits of Dialogue 220 16. “There Is Really No Such Thing As Methodology” 236 17. Into the Wilderness 244 18. The Magic of Words 256 19. Two Heretics: Milton and Melville 265 20. Notes on a Maple Leaf 273 21. The Canadian Imagination 276 22. Poets of Canada: 1920 to the Present 285 23. On Evil 291 24. Blake’s Cosmos 300 25. Science Policy and the Quality of Life 310 26. Modern Education 321 27. Symmetry in the Arts: Blake 324 28. Harold Innis: Portrait of a Scholar 329 29. Easter 330 30. Impressions 337 31. CRTC Hearings 349 32. Canadian Voices 352 33. Sacred and Secular Scriptures 356 34. Education, Religion, Old Age 363 35. The Future Tense 374 36. “A Literate Person Is First and Foremost an Articulate Person” 376 37. The Education of Mike McManus 390 38. An Eminent Victorian 401 39. Between Paradise and Apocalypse 413 40. Frye’s Literary Theory in the Classroom: A Panel Discussion 446 41. Getting the Order Right 459 42. Tradition and Change in the College 476 43. The New American Dreams over the Great Lakes 488 44. Four Questions for Northrop Frye 491 45. “I Tried to Shatter the Shell of Historicism” 495 46. The Wisdom of the Reader 498 47. Identity and Myth 501 48. Literature in Education 507 49. Northrop Frye: Signifying Everything 515 50. The Critical Path 523 51. Regionalism in Canada 529 52. Canadian Energy: Dialogues on Creativity 533 53. From Nationalism to Regionalism: The Maturing of Canadian Culture 542 54. Commemorating the Massey Lectures 552 55. Marshall McLuhan 556 56. Storytelling 558 57. A Fearful Symmetry 564 58. Medium and Message 572 59. Scientist and Artist 574 60. The Art of Bunraku 582 61. On The Great Code (I) 592 62. Chatelaine’s Celebrity I.D. 611 63. On The Great Code (II) 614 64. Towards an Oral History of the University of Toronto 621 65. Back to the Garden 688 66. On The Great Code (III) 702 67. Maintaining Freedom in Paradise 716 68. On The Great Code (IV) 727 69. Making the Revolutionary Act New 731 70. Visualization in Reading 739 71. Hard Times in the Ivory Tower 746 72. Frye at the Forum 750 73. The Scholar in Society 755 74. Inventing a Music: MacMillan and Walter in the Past and Present 764 75. Criticism after Anatomy 766 76. Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism 769 77. Les Lecteurs doivent manger le livre 772 78. The Darkening Mirror: Reflections on the Bomb and Language 775 79. Music in My Life 779 80. Books as Counter-Culture 789 81. The Primary Necessities of Existence 790 82. Criticism in Society 798 83. On the Media 812 84. The Great Test of Maturity 816 85. Archetype and History 825 86. Moncton, Mentors, and Memories 836 87. William Blake: Prophet of the New Age 855 88. Morningside Interview on Shakespeare 859 89. Love of Learning 867 90. Frye, Literary Critic 872 91. On The Great Code (V) 876 92. On The Great Code (VI) 878 93. On Education 882 94. Schools of Criticism (I) 886 95. William Morris 895 96. What Is the Purpose of Art? 904 97. Canadian Writers in Italy 906 98. The Great Teacher 908 99. Canadian and American Values 933 100. Nature and Civilization 950 101. Second Marriage 956 102. Northrop Frye in Conversation 962 103. “Condominium Mentality” in CanLit 1082 104. Modified Methodism 1086 105. Family Stories 1089 106. Imprint Interview 1101 107. Stevens and the Value of Literature 1113 108. Time Fulfilled 1120 109. Schools of Criticism (II) 1125 110. Cultural Identity in Canada 1135 111. The Final Interview 1143 Appendix A. Other Films Featuring Northrop Frye 1149 Appendix B. Interviews Which Led To Discursive Articles 1151 Appendix C. Lost, Unavailable, or Untraced Interviews and Discussions 1155 Notes 1159 Index 1221

It is often forgotten that Northrop Frye, a scholar known chiefly for his books and articles, was also a gifted speaker who was never reluctant to be interviewed. This collection of 111 interviews and discussions with the critic assembles all of those published or broadcast on radio or television. Also included among the interviews are a number of conversations not generally known, many of them transcribed from tapes gathered from personal collections.

Interviews with Northrop Frye aims to provide another view of the famous literary critic, one that supplements that which is often obtained from reading his printed works. Ranging from the earliest interviews in 1948 to discussions that took place mere months before his death in 1991, this volume is a complete portrait of Frye the conversationalist, demonstrating that he was capable of expressing his thought just as lucidly in person as he could on paper. Among the topics included are Frye’s views on teaching, writing, and Canadian literature, his opinions on the state of criticism, and a fascinating exchange concerning contemporary religion.

For anyone interested in the life and career of Northrop Frye, these interviews are an ideal way to gain greater insight into the man and his work.