Impossible, Perverse & Strange: Pragmatism and British Literature

I found myself having a hard time singling out just one overarching theme that we have studied this semester but finally settled upon the notion of reason, more specifically pragmatism and how it is shown through the writings that we studied. I will argue that the authors use the idea of pragmatism to either drive their stories or to promote what values they felt were important to the society in which they lived.

The first author that I want to speak about is William Cowper. I feel that he is an excellent example of an author who wrote so that he could effect a change on his society. We spoke at length in class about the abolitionist movement and how various abolitionists used various means to show support for their cause. In the case of Cowper he felt that the most effective way to get his message across was to take up the pen and write. His poem “A Negro’s Complaint” is a very good example of this. We argued back and forth in class on the merits or the non-merits of Cowper choosing to write this. The fact that the poem is written from the perspective of the African slave was shocking to the senses of his contemporaries and was greeted by many of his peers as shocking. Shocking however is not always a bad thing for two reasons. The first reason was that both critics and supporters of his work were reading it; and second and more importantly both sides were talking about it. I believe that it was pragmatism that drove Cowper to write the poem from this point of view. He knew it would have been shocking to his audience and he also knew that something this provocative would be talked about in the public sphere and possibly more importantly was that it would be talked about in the home. William Cowper was also a man of deep religious convictions and this faith also played a major part in his writings. According to Barbra Packer a crucial part of Cowper’s life was his conversion experience “When he was at liberty again, he left London for the country side where he could be near his brother John, a fellow at a Cambridge college. There Cowper sought out the company of other evangelical Christians who had experienced conversion. It was common among evangelicals to write some account of their spiritual lives, conversion narratives that sought to glorify God's mercy by dwelling upon the shameful, sinful behavior of the wretch he saved from damnation” His faith would also be a factor when considering why he wrote poems such as “The Negro’s Complaint” and I think that we should not be above thinking that he used his faith and knowledge of the social tensions to make the most effective statement possible.

The next author that I would like to speak at length about is Joseph Conrad and his work “An Outpost of Progress”. This was one of my favorite works that we studied this semester for two reasons. The first reason is that I think he was an absolute genius when it came to the art of subtlety and second is because I think that this work is an excellent example of Conrad calling out the British empire/ bureaucracy for a complete lack of pragmatism. I think that the characters of Kayerts and Cartlier were created as a way for Conrad to call out the British for their mishandling of their overseas colonies. The reason I believe that these men are the epitome of a complete lack of pragmatism is this. The way Conrad portrays them is as bumbling and soft men who are products of their upbringing, soft and ineffective. This begs the question why would the British send out soft and bumbling ineffective agents? My answer to that and what I believe Conrad would have us think is that there was a complete lack of realization from those preparing these men for what they are about to embark on. This is due to a number of things. The first thing is these men are bureaucrats not soldiers or even diplomats. One was only on the mission because he was sent there for the wellbeing of his daughter the other because he was a competent bureaucrat. The work says nothing about the preparedness of the men once they had arrived in country. I believe that Conrad is saying that the imperial British may have been able to take an area and even hold the area but the men sent once the soldiers were gone were a totally different story. I think that this is further evidenced by the opening scene where the two men have just reached their post and the director, the one man who could have possibly been able to give the two men an idea as to what to do immediately departs for another area in need of his management leaving the two men to their own devices and without a plan. I think it is the lack of planning of those who were supposed to be in charge that Conrad speaks out against. We see clearly at least from Conrad’s mind what happens when there is a lack of order in the colonies and from this we can gather that the best option to make sure this did not happen was to have those who were in charge be better trained and better prepared. At some level this did occur since the British empire was among the last to crumble and in Africa the British were the last to lose their empire.

The next figure and work I would like to speak about is Elizabeth Barret Browning and her poem “The Cry of The Children”. This poem was written at a time when the social views on children were in flux. For a long time children had been viewed as little adults and had been treated accordingly, however beginning in the early 19th century these views began to change and many men and women began to question the established patterns of thought and began to view children as being different from adults both physically and mentally. One of the reasons that people began to question was the fact that children were being worked like adults and living in horrible conditions. “Though delivered in simple straightforward prose, the cumulative effect of Horne’s summary reports and depositions is powerfully affecting, and many of his impressions and descriptions of his subjects and their conditions made their way into Barrett Browning’s poem. According to Horne, the physical and mental effects of work on children were profoundly detrimental. He reported in relentless detail the onerous, dangerous, monotonous jobs performed by children who labored under unimaginable conditions” (Peaches, Henry pg.8). I believe that much like William Cowper Browning took a good measure of her audience and wrote this at a time when she felt her work could make the most impact. I think she also used her pen to create something that would be uncomfortable to read and play at people’s emotions. Browning knew that along with the changing attitudes the times were just right to publish this poem. I do think that this work along with being well thought out is probably the most emotive work that we discussed this semester. It is hard not to feel for the children and want to make a change so that they would have a better chance in life, and I think that is exactly why Browning wrote this poem how she did and when she did.

The last work I wish to discuss is Ann Radcliff and her story “Romance of the Forest”. For this discussion I will speak on how Radcliff used the chaos of the French revolution and what happens when order and pragmatism give way to chaos and bloodshed as a cautionary tale for their British counterparts. The in the beginning of the story we see that for political reasons the la Motte family is fleeing Paris to friendlier environs. The setting of the story in history is the French revolution and the character that symbolizes the excesses of the revolution was the character the Marquis. To me the Marquis is what Radcliff used to show the worst of what was going on across the pond in France. He is a double crosser, a murder, and thinks nothing of killing to gain something that he wanted. There is a scene in the book that shows the use of pragmatism best and that is the scene of where the Marquis and La Motte are in discussion about what is to happen to Adeline. By this point La Motte has grown fond of Adeline and does not want to see her go to this man. On the other hand the Marquis is his social superior and one inherently did not usually go against their social betters. So La Motte eventually to save his own skin initially must do the unthinkable and give up Adeline. The next night before the arrival of the Marquis we see pragmatism as the enemy of righteousness because the smart thing to do would be swallow his bad feelings and let Adeline go with the Marquis, the right thing to do would be to find a way for her to escape. We all know the result of this inner battle. The next part of the story that best serves as a cautionary tale is the trial at the end of the story. People are imprisoned for the slightest infraction that on one day may not be something that is even considered a crime. It is not until some people are willing to throw aside convention and challenge the ever changing norms that justice is finally realized. I believe that Radcliff wants us to think and the caution she seems to be giving is that sometimes pragmatism will only get you so far and if you desire justice then sometimes you must throw aside what seems logical. Then again that is my take on it!

As we can see pragmatism served multiple purposes throughout the semester whether it was to call out mishandling of far off colonies or to shine light on internal problems pragmatism has been a crucial part and played a large role in how we read and received the works assigned to us throughout the semester.

Works Cited

Henry, Peaches. "The Sentimental Artistry Of Barrett Browning's "The Cry Of The Children." Victorian Poetry 49.4 (2011): 535-556. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013.

Packer, Barbara. "Hope And Despair In The Writings Of William Cowper." Social Research 66.2 (1999): 545-564. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 May 2013.

Impossible, Perverse & Strange

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Pragmatism and British Literature

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