During our first lab day, I parsed through an archive of The Dial. This specific copy was published October, 1924 – being an incredible time capsule – it is representative of the height of literary modernism. Something I enjoyed discovering was a letter written to the editor by Leo Stein (Gertrude Stein’s older brother). I wish I had captured a picture of this page; I found it to be an interesting connection.
Below, I have attached a picture of the poem “Silence” by Marianne Moore—the soon-to-be editor of The Dial (1925). I took a picture of this poem mainly because I really enjoyed it. Specifically, the line “the deepest feeling always shows itself in silence; / not in silence, but restraint”. I now realize that this poem appears in her book Observations – it was first published here, in The Dial!
This is a drawing by Willam Gropper titled “Line Syncopation”. The title of this artwork stands out to me because it seems to encapsulate the main themes of modernism. Syncopation is a term usually used to describe music. So, we see a mixing of arts, here, in a similar way that Gertrude Stein pulled traits of cubism into her writing and Langston Hughes mimics the rhythms of jazz, poetically. The ‘disturbance’ and ‘interruption’ in the line-flow is also representative of the overarching themes of modernism—Innovation, experimentation, association, and absurdism.
Way to bring Moore and Langston together in your reading!