'To hell with culture' : anarchism in twentieth century British literature

The ways in which anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism have made an impact in British 20th-century literature are explored in this collection of critical essays. This radical and thus far under-considered topic is up for review now that traditional paradigms of leftist and radical thought are under reexamination and the Marxist tradition is being seen as an imposition on a situation that was always more various and complex than typical descriptions have admitted. These essays investigate the theory that in the early 20th century there were several currents of anarchist thought, ranging from extreme radicalism to effective conservativism, and that a good deal of the thinking and writing that has been classed as Marxist is in fact more accurately described as anarchist. Anarchism Is Much More Than Chaos Or Bomb-throwing. As A Well-considered System Of Thought And Life, Anarchism Has Had Substantial Influence In Many Aspects Of Society And Writing Around The World, Including, Far More Than Has Been Realized, British Literature In The Twentieth Century. Originating In A Powerful Condensation Of The Ideals Of Individual Freedom And Local Cooperation, The Anarchist Approach Was Heavily Influential In Early Twentieth-century Resistance To Oppression, Notably In Spain. In Our Time Anarchist Ideas Have Resurfaced With Renewed Dissenting Relevance In Fields Such As Regionalism, Decentralization And The Ecological Movement - As Well As In Street-level Resistance To Modern Centralized Government. As This Innovative Collection Shows, British Literature Has Vigorously Realized These Manifestations Of Anarchism Across Time. Some Treatments Were Nervously Negative, As By Joseph Conrad And G. K. Chesterton, But Many Were Sympathetic - English Writers Like Aldous Huxley, Alex Comfort, Ethel Mannin, Ralph Bates And Herbert Read, Scottish Authors Like Lewis Grassic Gibbon And Welsh Ones Like Rhys Davies And John Cowper Powys. Finally The Collection Explores The Rich Presence Of The Anarchist Tradition In Adventurous Modern Writers Like James Kelman, Mark Ravenhill And Niall Griffiths, The Irish Dramatist Enda Walsh And The Whole London Anarchist Tradition From Emanuel Litvinoff To Iain Sinclair.--book Jacket. Conrad And Anarchism: Irony, Solidarity And Betrayal / John Rignall -- Identifying Anarchy In G.k. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday / Heather Worthington -- Art For Politics' Sake: The Sardonic Principle Of James Leslie Mitchell (lewis Grassic Gibbon) / William K. Malcolm -- Anarcho-syndicalism In Welsh Fiction In English / Stephen Knight -- Ralph Bates And The Representation Of The Spanish Anarchists In Lean Men And The Olive Field / Raimond Schäffner -- Ethel Mannin's Fiction And The Influence Of Emma Goldman / Kathleen Bell -- Herbert Read And The Anarchist Aesthetic / Paul Gibbard -- Aldous Huxley And Alex Comfort: A Comparison / David Goodway -- John Cowper Powys And Anarchism / Victor Golightly -- Litvinoff's Room: East End Anarchism / Valentine Cunningham -- Anti-authoritarianism In The Later Fiction Of James Kelman / H. Gustav Klaus -- Pimps, Punks And Pub Crooners: Anarchy And Anarchism In Contemporary Welsh Fiction / Katie Gramich -- Lifestyle Anarchism And Its Discontents: Mark Ravenhill, Enda Walsh And The Politics Of Contemporary Drama / Christian Schmitt-kilb. Edited By H. Gustav Klaus And Stephen Knight. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This publication explores the ways in which anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism made an impact in British twentieth-century literature. This radical and under-considered topic is up for review now that the traditional paradigms of leftist and radical thought are under re-examination 'To Hell with Culture': Anarchism in Twentieth-Century British Literature explores the ways in which anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism made an impact in British twentieth-century literature.