Review

General Books

Body and Soul is the final volume in a trilogy which explains both religious and secular sources of Progressivism (earlier volumes were Ministers of Reform, 1982; American Salons, 1993), and now examines the wellsprings of "American Modernism," which rejected both Victorian and Progressive culture, and ushered in the "Jazz Age." Posthumously published, it reflects Robert Crunden's maturity as a scholar and writer, both erudite and witty. "Postmodern" in its focus on the cross-fertilization of art, music, architecture, photography, and literature, it is nonetheless jargon-free. It is clear, jaunty and even slangy in places, and a pleasure to read and reflect upon. Body and Soul is Crunden's testament, a personal volume both of informed subjectivity and pathbreaking vision. As such, it is also a pleasure to argue with. There is a threefold distinctiveness about Body and Soul: 1) Crunden delineates the social and intellectual connections among Jazz Age artists and writers, including popular as well as formal culture (jazz); 2) he posits two different 'generations' of modernism, with 1926-1928 the rough dividing line; and 3) he claims their artists and writers were more interested in alternative religions than others have realized. The book contains a series of biographical studies of individuals or of mentors and disciples studded with entertaining anecdotes, remarkable relationships, and frequently controversial estimations of their importance in changing American culture. Neither specialists nor general readers can go through the book without eyebrows raised in appreciation, surprise, or indignation.	1
Whatever their medium of expression, Crunden's first generation of modernists agreed on what they hated: a scientific moralistic culture in which they felt alienated or marginalized. Intellectuals were alienated "in a philistine society, Catholics in a protestant society, Jews in a Christian society, women in a male society, blacks in a white society, southerners in a northern society, homosexuals in a heterosexual society" (ix). That aspect of their revolt was negative, but their more positive contribution lay in the various and often shocking ways in which they conveyed the feel of urban industrial society: compression and conciseness, blunt realism and rejection of metaphor, simultaneity of views and rhythms, impressions of weight and mass, percussiveness in sound and image. Through several case studies, including early jazz musicians, Crunden narrates their creation and reflection of the Jazz Age. The second generation is less cleanly delineated. Disciples or students of the older rebels, at a certain point they sought either to come into their own as creative artists, or decided to modify their avant garde stance in search of a wider audience. The results might either be redirected and enhanced creativity (Man Ray, Georgia O'Keeffe, CharlesSheeler), "bleached" art (Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong) or mere dabbling in modernism (Aaron Copland, George Antheil) Crunden argues with mixed persuasiveness that this break usually occurred within the mid-1920s.	2
Crunden is not shy about re-evaluating the period's cultural icons. He pays renewed attention to relatively neglected figures, such as Edgard Varese, Ernest Bloch, John Dos Passos, and Arthur Dove. Marcel Duchamp, Eric Satie and Igor Stravinsky get their due as inspirational teachers. The author presents Paul Whiteman as far less fatuous than others have done, Carl Van Vechten as even more so; he portrays George Antheil as a one-hit wonder and self-promoting clown, Ernest Hemingway as a thoroughly opportunistic, even detestable hypocrite. Certainly readers will take issue with Crunden's preferences, including what artist's works he thinks the more significant. For instance, he prefers Dos Passos' Manhattan Transfer to U.S.A., Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise to The Great Gatsby. And some may question his biographical selections, such as Roger Sessions but not Henry Cowell. But agree or not, readers will be impressed by the charm and depth of Crunden's essays.	3
Less fascinating or convincing is Crunden's contention that modernists were absorbed by alternative religions or cults like Theosophy and the writings of Gurdjieff. The final group of biographical sketches offers few artists whose work was consistently metaphysical, and some of them are obscure figures. Compared to the multi-layered interweavings of personal and creative connections elsewhere in Body and Soul, this section is quite thin. One must wonder what Crunden might have done here had he been granted health and time. Due to its unusual thesis and points of view, Body and Soul offers thoughtful insights throughout, and should be great fun for advanced undergraduates. Recent compact discs include music of all the pertinent composers, including a clangingly realized performance of Antheil's "Ballet Mechanique"; a videotape of the silent film version also exists. Ken Burns' series on jazz offers segments featuring Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong, all of whom are given pride of place in the book. And on the dust jacket is a provocative illustration by J. C. Leyendecker (now a commemorative postage stamp) which seems far more than an Arrow Collar ad. It breathes the spirit of how Crunden sees the 20s.	4
Kalman Goldstein Bergenfield, New Jersey

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