BLAST
From The Waste Land Wiki
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| − | One of the major differences between the creation of [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST 2] was the physical separation of the contributors. While [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis] was attempting to put together [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST 2], he was fighting on the French Front. Many of the contributors still resided in London during the war; however, because [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis] was on the French Front, coordinating the different pieces of the magazine was infinitely more difficult. This was compounded by other contributors also participating in front line offensives or closely supporting the assaults. Additionally, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dismorr Jessica Dismoor] served as a nurse on the French Front. The difficulty of war time communication as well as the variability of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis'] location likely contributed to some of the changes in style of the second edition of [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] compared to the first. | + | One of the major differences between the creation of [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST 2] was the physical separation of the contributors. While [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis] was attempting to put together [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST 2], he was fighting on the French Front. Many of the contributors still resided in London during the war; however, because [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis] was on the French Front, coordinating the different pieces of the magazine was infinitely more difficult. This was compounded by other contributors also participating in front line offensives or closely supporting the assaults. Additionally, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dismorr Jessica Dismoor] served as a nurse on the French Front. The difficulty of war time communication as well as the variability of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Lewis'] location likely contributed to some of the changes in style of the second edition of [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] compared to the first. Lewis was likely more worried about disseminating the vorticist message than he was with ensuring the second editions textual layout was reminiscent of the first editions style. Lewis made use of the simpler double column layout with separate sections for art because of the communication difficulties and time crunch. |
This map shows that even though only two of the contributors plus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Wyndham Lewis] were fighting in the war, the war took a toll on all the contributors. The second issue reveals that the war hit all the contributors equally hard because of the tone and layout of the issue. | This map shows that even though only two of the contributors plus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyndham_Lewis Wyndham Lewis] were fighting in the war, the war took a toll on all the contributors. The second issue reveals that the war hit all the contributors equally hard because of the tone and layout of the issue. | ||
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Both the Tyro and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] contained ads. In both publications of BLAST, the ads were at the back of the magazine and all of the ads were relatively straight-forward (no graphics) and had to do with various types of publication (art, music, memoirs, biographies, poetry, and popular novels). In the Tyro, there are still plenty of ads for books (especially for art, music, and others), but they seem to be catered toward a more specific audience, particularly the wealthy, educated and/or extreme. For example, there are ads for rare and foreign books, music ads, an ad for a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorticism Vorticist] saloon, radical or contemporary art exhibits, antiques, and fancy hats. The Tyro 2 was a total of 106 pages long, and 6 of its pages were ads. | Both the Tyro and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST] contained ads. In both publications of BLAST, the ads were at the back of the magazine and all of the ads were relatively straight-forward (no graphics) and had to do with various types of publication (art, music, memoirs, biographies, poetry, and popular novels). In the Tyro, there are still plenty of ads for books (especially for art, music, and others), but they seem to be catered toward a more specific audience, particularly the wealthy, educated and/or extreme. For example, there are ads for rare and foreign books, music ads, an ad for a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorticism Vorticist] saloon, radical or contemporary art exhibits, antiques, and fancy hats. The Tyro 2 was a total of 106 pages long, and 6 of its pages were ads. | ||
| − | + | As far as artwork goes, the first publication of the Tyro seems to contain some more [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorticism Vorticist] characteristics than the second publication (this applies a little to the pieces done by Wyndham Lewis than some of the others), but there is a great deal of new content as well. The pieces by Lewis express the same focus on geometric patterns and stark contrast between black and white, however, other pieces exhibit, in general, more shading and less geometry than strictly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorticism Vorticist] pieces. The biggest way that this artwork differs from the artwork of BLAST is that the subject is focused on humans (Or Tyros) rather than vortices. | |
| − | + | While it is plain to see that the Tyro shared many things with BLAST, it is also quite apparent that it was something else entirely. The structure, content, artwork, and even ads are quite different with the remains of similar modernist themes of the past. This is likely because of how hard Lewis was working to make something that he thought would last and really trying to fight against the odds. Lewis wrote “The question will arise naturally to what extent the European movement that these things typify has succeeded, how the war has affected it, and what its future may be. During the last ten years, at regular intervals, writers and people in conversation have said : ‘[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubism Cubism], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism Futurism], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorticism Vorticism], and all the rest of that revolutionary phase of art, is dead’” (the Tyro 2, pg 3). He goes on to argue that “a great innovating movement is not, however, so easily destroyed”, that “the quality of its vitality is certain to be so much truer and harder than that of its multitudes of opponents,” and “that the world would have to penetrate further into chaos than it has done, or is likely to be allowed to go, to make such manifestations impossible” (the Tyro 2, pg 3). Finally, he says that when one compares those movements “with the modes of expression that depend for their existence on the precarious remains of a past order of society and life, you will see that, depending as this other one does on a mentality, in course of formation, whose roots, literally, are in the future, its chances of survival are better than its more immediately traditional rivals” (the Tyro 2, pg 4). It seems as though this magazine were almost an attempt by Lewis and his peers to really advocate for the relevance they thought their work would have in the future. His reasoning may have been slightly overzealous, or overly validating on his own interests, but that could be part of the relevance of his work, and other work like his own. | |
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The digital component of this course is, in large part, what gave some meaning to some of this type of work with both the Tyro and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST]. These were not overly popular magazines for the time (hence, in part, their total of 4 publications), but now that these works are archived on the Modernist Journals Project website, just about anyone with internet access has the ability to learn more about these publications and do research. In this way, the work put into these journals becomes a bit more immortal because, although this is not proven, the internet appears as though it will last longer than the original copies of the books will, which is probably something Lewis and his peers would have wanted. | The digital component of this course is, in large part, what gave some meaning to some of this type of work with both the Tyro and [http://www.modjourn.org/render.php?id=1143209523824844&view=mjp_object BLAST]. These were not overly popular magazines for the time (hence, in part, their total of 4 publications), but now that these works are archived on the Modernist Journals Project website, just about anyone with internet access has the ability to learn more about these publications and do research. In this way, the work put into these journals becomes a bit more immortal because, although this is not proven, the internet appears as though it will last longer than the original copies of the books will, which is probably something Lewis and his peers would have wanted. | ||
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