12. After World War II, James Buchan fell out of fashion because his books were incredibly antisemitic and racist (lots of stuff about how childlike Natives need strong British hand to rule). His recuperation came, strangely, from Gertrude Himmelfarb, doyen of neoconservatism
-
Show this thread
-
13. In 1961, writing in Encounter (then covertly funded by the CIA & edited by her husband Irving Kristol) Himmelfarb wrote a long essay arguing for the value of Buchan's work & saying his novels about global Jewish conspiracies were not so bad (just "casual" antisemitism)pic.twitter.com/KL1x9dazYm
5 replies 17 retweets 192 likesShow this thread -
14. Himmelfarb's essay (as Christopher Ricks noted long ago) only makes sense in light of Encounter's cold war mission. Encounter was trying to win over British literary & aristocratic culture to American empire. Hence Himmelfarb, a distinguished US historian, celebrating Buchan
2 replies 4 retweets 147 likesShow this thread -
15. Himmelfarb's whole point is that Buchan's clubby antisemitism and belief in white racial superiority were in context of orderly traditional society so not like the bad antisemitism & racism of vulgarians like Hitler.pic.twitter.com/5gBEDx5X0c
2 replies 9 retweets 155 likesShow this thread -
16. Himmelfarb's celebration of Buchan is symptomatic of how & why he remains a formative culture figure (despite rampant bigotry in his work): he's the great bard of Empire & its anxieties: celebrating the daring do of a ruling class beset by hidden enemies.
3 replies 10 retweets 153 likesShow this thread -
17. Himmelfarb wasn't only right-wing on right to see Buchan as an essential bulwark of traditionalism. Recently an alt-right body building journal has started serializing The 39 Steps.pic.twitter.com/zDRLAQrvoQ
3 replies 7 retweets 141 likesShow this thread -
18. The fingerprints of John Buchan are all over The King's Man: the aristocratic heroes, the empire under threat, the hidden conspiracy by those trying to wreck civilization as led by the British (led, significantly, by a vengeful Scot & then a Jew).
2 replies 11 retweets 164 likesShow this thread -
19. There's one other aspect of Buchan: he turned to thrillers as a consolation for decline of empire both to scapegoat (the hidden conspiracies) but also as consolation (Britain might be outgunned by other great powers but could still produce top notch spies).
3 replies 9 retweets 154 likesShow this thread -
20. The idea that spying would save Britain as a world power, that Britain could "punch above its weight" by spying, is the hidden consolation of the thriller. Buchan started it but it runs through Bond & even (in much more sophisticated & ironic form) Greene & le Carré
3 replies 16 retweets 209 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @HeerJeet
I'll step in for a moment to defend le Carré, if I may - the futility of Britain trying to spy/punch above its weight when it has obviously lost its power and relevance is a theme running through all of his Cold War books.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
That's what I meant by more ironic and sophisticated
-
-
Listened to a very captivating interview with Le Carre on NPR. Seemed to be a decent chap.
0 replies 0 retweets 1 likeThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.