UPTON SINCLAIR AGAINST THE LITERARY MARKET: THE RECEPTION OF THE TREATISES ‘THE BRASS CHECK’, ‘MAMMONART’ AND ‘MONEY WRITES!’ IN THE AMERICAN PRESS, 1920s
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2073-6681-2019-2-94-101Keywords:
American literary history, Upton Sinclair, The Brass Check, Mammonart, Money Writes!, reviews, American periodicals of the 1920s, literary field, agents in the literary field, symbolic capital.Abstract
The paper analyzes the critical response to Upton Sinclair’s The Brass Check (1920), Mammonart (1925) and Money Writes! (1927) in the American periodicals of the 1920s. The three treatises were conceived by the author as a well-planned attack on the literary market of America, the capitalist press, publishing industry, modern American writers and historical figures known to be on the payroll of tycoons. The reaction of the periodicals is particularly interesting, because it represents the immediate response of the literary world to Sinclair’s accusations of corruption, bias and servility to ‘Mammon’. This article raises the problem of complicated relationship between the writer and the literary market, especially if the writer is swimming against the current and sets an ambitious goal to clear the market of dirty commerce and to assert the value of decency, partnership and highest ideals. As for the methodology, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept is central for the research, which allows us to regard Upton Sinclair and his opponents (the press, critics and editors) as agents in the literary field occupying a certain position, being interconnected by structural relations and competing not only for the financial but for the symbolic capital as well – i. e. for the authority in the literary field and the right to set out their own standards. The article shows different tactics of the ‘information war’, which depend on the initial position of the agents: the capitalist press boycotted Sinclair refusing to publish his articles and strove to destroy his reputation by well-aimed criticism; Sinclair published his books and pamphlets by himself and relied on socialists in America and abroad that could give him support. Despite the fact that Sinclair’s war against corruption in journalism and literature was actually lost, these treatises caused a sharp debate on this problem in the American society.References
Кешарпу Е. В. Писательские и издательские стратегии Э. Синклера // Вестник Московского университета. Сер. 9: Филология. 2019. № 4. (В печати).
Arthur A. Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair: The Extraordinary Story of How the Author of “The Jungle” Set Out to Change America. New York: Random House, 2006. 380 p.
A Socialist in Capitalism // New York Herald. 1920. Dec. 24. P. 8.
Books by Heywood Brown // New York Tribune. 1920. May 3. P. 8.
Brown H. “The Brass Check” Charges a General Conspiracy of Dishonest Propaganda // New York Tribune. 1920. Mar. 28. P. 9.
Dell F. A Shelf of Recent Books: Two Boys and a Book // Bookman. 1925. June. P. 480–481.
Dr. Lee Attacks “The Brass Check” // New York Times. 1921. Feb. 21. P. 11–12.
Few Words, but Enough // New York Times. 1921. March. 29. P. 14.
Grenier J. Upton Sinclair and the Press: The Brass Check Reconsidered // Journalism Quarterly. 1972. № 49 (fall). P. 427–436.
Gruening E. What Every Newspaper Man Knows // Nation. 1920. July 17. P. 72–73.
Harris L. Upton Sinclair: American Rebel. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1975. X, 435 p.
Hitchcock C. N. The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism // Journal of Political Economy. 1921. Vol. XXIX, № 4. P. 336–348.
Marcaccio M. D. Did a Business Conspiracy End Muckraking? A Reexamination // The Historian. 1984. Vol. XLVII, № 1 (November). P. 58–71.
McChesney R. W., Scott B. Upton Sinclair and the Contradictions of Capitalist Journalism // Monthly Review. 2002. May 1. P. 1–14. URL: https://monthlyreview.org/2002/05/01/upton-sinclair-and-the-contradictions-of-capitalist-journalism/ (дата обращения: 09.01.2019).
Mencken H. L. Four Critics of Letters (“Mammonart” by Upton Sinclair; “The Newer Spirit” by Victor F. Calverton; “Studies from Ten Literatures” by Ernest A. Boyd; “Art Principles in Literature” by Francis P. Donnelly) // American Mercury. 1925. June. P. 252–253.
Mencken H. L. Inside Stuff (“Money Writes!” by Upton Sinclair) // American Mercury. 1928. February. P. 253.
Notes on New Books (“Mammonart” by Upton Sinclair) // Outlook. 1925. June 17. P. 268–271.
Remley D.A. Upton Sinclair and H. L. Mencken in Correspondence: “An Illustration of How Not To Agree” // Southern California Quarterly. 1974. № 4 (winter). P. 337–358.
Sinclair U. Mammonart: An Essay in Economic Interpretation. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1925. VI, 390 p.
Sinclair U. Money Writes! A Study of American Literature. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1927а. 227 p.
Sinclair U. Money Writes! New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1927б. 227 p.
Sinclair U. My Lifetime in Letters. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1960. XXI, 412 p.
Sinclair U. The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair. New York: Harcourt, 1962. 342 p.
Sinclair U. The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1920. 445 p.
Sinclair U. The Crimes of the “Times”: A Test of Newspaper Decency. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1921. 31 p.
Smith J. K. Counting the Cats of Zanzibar: Upton Sinclair and the Decline of the Muckraking Movement: Report at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Communication Association. April 19–22, 1990. 21 p. URL: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED322544.pdf (дата обращения: 09.01.2019).
Some New Books We Have Read (“Mammonart” by Upton Sinclair) // Century. 1925. May. P. 126–128.
Some of Our Past Laid Bare by the Author of “Brass Check” // New York Tribune. 1920. May 9. P. 5.
The Rumely Conviction // New York Tribune. 1920. Dec. 20. P. 10.
References
Kesharpu E. V. Pisatel’skie i izdatel’skie strategii E. Sinklera [Upton Sinclair’s Writing and Publishing Srategies]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 9: Filologiya [Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 9. Philology], 2019, issue 4. (In print). (In Russ.)
Arthur A. Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair: The Extraordinary Story of How the Author of ‘The Jungle’ Set Out to Change America. New York, Random House, 2006. 380 p. (In Eng.)
A Socialist in Capitalism. The New York Herald, 24 Dec. 1920, p. 8. (In Eng.)
Books by Heywood Brown. New York Tribune, 3 May 1920, p. 8. (In Eng.)
Brown H. ‘The Brass Check’ Charges a General Conspiracy of Dishonest Propaganda. New York Tribune, 28 Mar. 1920, p. 9. (In Eng.)
Dell F. A Shelf of Recent Books: Two Boys and a Book. Bookman, June 1925, pp. 480–481. (In Eng.)
Dr. Lee Attacks ‘The Brass Check’. New York Times, 21 Feb. 1921, pp. 11–12. (In Eng.)
Few Words, but Enough. New York Times, 29 Mar. 1921, p. 14. (In Eng.)
Grenier J. Upton Sinclair and the Press: The Brass Check Reconsidered. Journalism Quarterly, 1972, issue 49 (fall), pp. 427–436. (In Eng.)
Gruening E. What Every Newspaper Man Knows. Nation, 17 July 1920, pp. 72–73. (In Eng.)
Harris L. Upton Sinclair: American Rebel. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1975. X, 435 p. (In Eng.)
Hitchcock C.N. The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism. Journal of Political Economy, 1921, vol. 29, issue 4, pp. 336–348. (In Eng.)
Marcaccio M.D. Did a Business Conspiracy End Muckraking? A Reexamination. The Historian, 1984, vol. 47, issue 1 (November), pp. 58–71. (In Eng.)
McChesney R. W., Scott B. Upton Sinclair and the Contradictions of Capitalist Journalism. Monthly Review, 01 May 2002, pp. 1–14. Available at: https://monthlyreview.org/2002/05/01/upton-sinclair-and-the-contradictions-of-capitalist-journalism/ (accessed 09.01.2019). (In Eng.)
Mencken H. L. Four Critics of Letters (‘Mammonart’ by Upton Sinclair; ‘The Newer Spirit’ by Victor F. Calverton; ‘Studies from Ten Literatures’ by Ernest A. Boyd; ‘Art Principles in Literature’ by Francis P. Donnelly). American Mercury, June 1925, pp. 252–253. (In Eng.)
Mencken H. L. Inside Stuff (‘Money Writes!’ by Upton Sinclair). American Mercury, February 1928, p. 253. (In Eng.)
Notes on New Books (‘Mammonart’ by Upton Sinclair). Outlook, 17 June 1925, pp. 268–271. (In Eng.)
Remley D.A. Upton Sinclair and H. L. Mencken in Correspondence: ‘An Illustration of How Not to Agree’. Southern California Quarterly, 1974, issue 4 (winter), pp. 337–358. (In Eng.)
Sinclair U. Mammonart: An Essay in Economic Interpretation. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1925. VI, 390 p.
Sinclair U. Money Writes! A Study of American Literature. Pasadena: Sinclair, 1927. 227 p.
Sinclair U. Money Writes! New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1927. 227 p.
Sinclair U. My Lifetime in Letters. Columbia, University of Missouri Press, 1960. XXI, 412 p. (In Eng.)
Sinclair U. The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair. New York, Harcourt, 1962. 342 p. (In Eng.)
