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VOL.X,NO.2 AA( A7
OMORROW'S MATH, by C. Stanley
Ogilvy, Oxford University Press, $5.00,
167 pages.
JNDER the "total opportunity" rushing
schemes at some campuses, a central
ommittee tries to produce the maximum
umber of good "fits" after fraternities
ubmit lists of names and candidates turn
a orders of preference. At present only
ut-and-dry methods are used to pair
andidates with fraternities. Nobody has
'et developed a systematic method for
inding the best pairing.
One would perhaps expect to run across
L presentation of this problem in some
raternity "chartreuse book." However, the
>roblem can be found quietly nestled in
'Tomorrow's Math," by C. Stanley Ogilvy.
The book is a collection of "unsolved
)roblems for the amateur" taken from
;ome of the standard fields of mathemat-
cs-game theory, geometry, number theo-
'y, probability As advertised, the prob-
ems - ranging from the classical four-
,olor theorem to scoring yacht races-can
?asily be understood by anyone capable of
aking college-level mathematics.
So what's interesting about understand-
ing problems you know very well you can't
solve. you may ask.
Well, for one thing, there is a certain
innate attraction in staring at an un-
solved problem and knowing that some-
where, somehow, in that immense abstract
universe of mathematics there is a solu-
tion, as yet unknown to man. There is also
a sense of security in knowing there vill
never be any embarrassment in not being
able to solve even one problem.
Ogilvy plays well on these attractions in
a preparatory chapter. "The Meaning of
an Unsolved Problem," before launching
into the problems, which are themselves
well presented. Indeed, he succeeds quite
well in giving "amateurs" the best atti-
tude in approaching solutions. Profession-
als too will find the notes in the back of
the book a great help, for they contain ex-
tensive references to other mathemati-
cians concerned with specific problems.
-Michael Sattinger
THE FITZGERALD READER, edited by
Arthur Mizener. Charles Scribner's
Sons. $7.50. 509 pages.
IT WAS WHAT Fitzgerald called an
"abiding distrust, an animosity, toward
the leisure class-not the conviction of a
revolutionist but the smouldering hatred
of a peasant," that supplied his writings
with their passion, with their elusive
yet haunting sense of sadness.
It is that animosity and its fruits that
dominate the' selections of "The Fitz-
gerald Reader," unencumbered by tripe
about flappers getting their hair bobbed,
unencumbered by the typical anthology
editor's sentimental myth-building.
Arthur Mizener, the unsentimental
editor of this collection, divides Fitz-
gerald's work into four periods: the un-
dergraduate days of "This Side of Para-
dise," the years of "Winter Dreams";
"The Crack Up"; and "Pasting It To-
gether."
The collection begins with the days of
Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams," the dreams
of youth and wealth and love which dom-
inate these early pieces. Here the re-
current theme of the relationship between
love and money, and the loss that rela-
tionship compels, is introduced.
Dominanting the period is "The Great
Gatsby." reprinted entirely. Here the
best of a vigorous Fitzgerald draws Gats-
by, as tragic, as impassioned as a Shake-
spearean hero, and in a similar tragic
situation. Opposing Gatsby are the aris-
tocrats, admirable as china dolls for
their "grace and mobility" but hateful
because, with the shallowness of china
dolls, they destroy so much. Framing the
impeccably formed whole stands Nick
Carraway, now cynical, now common-
place, usually likable.
Page Eight
Striving for the "grace and mobility"
of thervery rich grew unendurable, and
Fitzgerald began his "Crack Up." This
thirdiperiod culminated in "Tender Is
The Night," represented in this collection
by the first seven chapters. Although un-
satisfactory as an aesthetic whole-as it
must be lest- the rest prove superfluous-
the excerpt offered does evoke a unified
response while setting the scene and
whetting the appetite for the rest of the
novel.
Fi z'erald "cracked," but began "Past-
ing It Together" with a series of acute
introsnective essays. This fourth and final
period. which gave birth to the unfinish-
ed "The Last Tycoon," saw a quieter,
more subtle tone. with emotion flowing
more freely and naturally than in Fitz-
g'e~ ' earlier fiction.
Complimenting the collection is Miz-
ener's s'mpathrtic yet objective intro-
duction which emphasizes Fitzgerald's
f'; "ne thamatic evolution and his
social outlook.
Fit,7-1' ld mnv not loom as an epic
alitl't of int- ltnal nrofundity. but he
rpm-i a s Inprb arti-t. a romantic
orentni' of intense emotion and lyric
iflo'n r Pi k he d servs reading,
"'Tm' ~"i+- Peader" is a good
t >n +~ t. ctstl f.
-Purtou Michaels
THE^TPE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY,
edited by Roh-rt W. Corrirnn, Grove
P r ePcs, Inc. New York. 320 pages,
$7.50.
A GOOD ANTHOLOGY has the poten-
tial for being the most valuable sort
of book. But the anthologist must be care-
ful not to trip into one of the many
pitfalls. It is possible to take too in-
credibly large a subject-like the study
of theatre in the twentieth century--and
never narrow it down. Or the editor may
not be capable of weeding out the perti-
tnen from the irrelevent. Robert Corrigan
has done a very good job of nimbly avoid-
ing the build-in traps.
With his book he has managed to dis-
pell some of the clouds of jargon and
undefined phraseology which has made
modern threatre appear an incompre-
hensible mishmash of rhinoceroses and
hairy apes. The 21 contributors-more of
the major figures of twentieth century
drama-are represented in excerpts from
the writers or in critical analysis.
The book is divided into three sections:
"The Playwright: Vision and Method,"
"The Artist: Acting and Directing" and
"The Critic: Analysis and Appraisal."
One of the more outstanding articles is
by Arthur Miller. In discussing "The Play-
wright and the Atomic World" he begins
by calling for more seriousness in drama.
Then, displaying all his skills as a writer,
he moves skillfully from contemplation of
the aesthetic in theatre to the pressing
problems of foreign policy in a world that
demands a "new dedication to the war on
poverty."
Miller says we must begin to portray
more in our movies and plays-since they
are viewed abroad-a sense of the respon-
sibility we hold in this nuclear age. We
often appear to the rest of the world, he
contends, as people who have no sense of
tragedy or seriousness about life. We re-
fuse, in movies at any rate, to be humble
before the ever-present questions of the
human condition. The European who sees
the U.S. only through movies and tour-
ists sees us as "dangerous children with
toys that can explode the planet" and
that "we are not conscious of our under-
lying ethical and moral dilemmas."
Friedrich Duerrenmatt discusses prob-
lems the playwright faces in getting the
play onto paper, and having it produced
in a manner sympathetic to the intent of
the writer. He presents the special diffi-
culties of the author who wishes to digress
from the set form by using experimental
devices, or return to such now seldom-
used practices as the monologue.
The "religious" play is analyzed by Ugo
Betti in his contribution "Religion and
the Theatre." Betti contends that "relig-
ious" works are generally disappointing
dramatically-not because of content.
There are two generaldreasons for the
failure of this kind of drama, according
to Betti.
The plot is foretold, he notes. The aud-
ience knows that good, faith and spir-
ituality will always triumph over evil,
disbelief and materialism.
In addition, characters are presented
which are pre-judged, pre-labeled, and
pre-defined. The emotive power of plays
dealing with religious sacrifice, as with
patriotism, might evoke a tear but no
genuine reaction.
Eugene Ionesco's autobiographical piece
"Discovering the Theatre" begins by tell-
ing us that he started to write for theatre
"because I hated it." Ionesco, a person
committed totally to realization of self
and self-honesty, found the assumption
of another personality - the essence of
acting-to be painful and dishonest.
Stanislavski and his Method are crit-
ically assessed by Robert Corrigan in an-
other piece. Corrigan contends the Meth-
od's "effects have been insidious and may
well have been harmful to the art of our
theatre." The conflict arises because
Stanislavski makes the actor the primary
creator of the part. "In the theatre, the
playwright must be the primary creator.
His intention must be expressed in every
aspect of the production," asserts Cor-
rigan.
A brief sampling can never be adequate,
particularly in a truly excellent anthol-
ogy. This book is vital to one who aims at
a better understanding of the minds
which have shaped modern theatre.
-Malinda Berry
PRIZE COLLEGE STORIES, edited by Whit
and Hallie Burnett, Random House,
241 pages, $4.50.
A GLANCE at the number of little mag-
azines appearing in recent years would
seem to indicate some sort of literary
surge from the upcoming generation.
The proliferation of little publications
during the late 1950's and early 1960's
seems extraordinary. There are more than
350 little magazines-reviews, quarterlies,
and yearly anthologies-accepting liter-
ary work in the United States.
A closer look shocks the observer's op-
timism. however. One is struck by the lack
of experiment in the most competent
young writers; and where there is experi-
ment, by the grubby, perverted. up-
through-the-soil point of view. What is
more disturbing is the lack of intellectual
positions being developed, and the lack of
any widespread ability to tackle environ-
mental themes.
"Prize College Stories, 1963," edited by
Hallie and Whit Burnett from their re-
vived "Story" magazines, shows the lim-
ited vision of most young writers. The
first prize, for example, is about a teen-
ager who wins a prize at a rodeo. The
story, "Just Fine," would fit best in "Boy's
Life" or some teen magazine.
The other stories, while well written
and intense, create characters who come
to terms with themselves, or with environ-
ments they don't understand, don't try to
understand, and generally pass off as
evil, mismanaged, or merely someone
else's doing. This would be acceptable al-
right if there was some effort, or at least
the acknowledgement, that these evil or
mismanaged environments could be alter-
ed.
For instance, the second prize winner,
""Barefoot in Tangier," by Wendy Gib-
son, of Sarah Lawrence College, is a story
of a lost, pregnant young girl alone in
Morocco. She reluctantly commits an im-
promptu abortion but doesn't really un-
derstand what made her do it.
Or again, the third prize, "Man Geh-
orcht," by Leslie Ann Brownrigg, of
Barnard College, is about the love of a
French girl for a German soldier and how
she has him killed. In doing so, she de-
stroys her own capacity to love, but ends
with little understanding of the episode.
The one story that shows an effort-to
take on society is "Direct Action," by Mike
Thelwell, of Harvard University.
Four students achieve integration by
sitting in a large department store's white
rest room after dropping laxatives in the
water cooler. When the laxatives take ef-
fect, the whites rush t the rest room only
to discover the stalls are filled. With em-
barrassment, and a certain amount of
panic, the whites rush to the colored rest
room.
The author, however, does not seem to
care one way or the other about integra-
tion. He seems to feel both sides are silly,
and lets it go at that.
Overall, the stories are well written and
intense, showing these young students
have a grasp of the writing craft. The
intensity of these stories bears little re-
lation to the actual environmental condi-
tions the writers find themselves in-the
college campus.
If they would focus on the forces
that shape their world, instead of merely
using these forces as a backdrop to per-
sonal struggle, they might enrich the con-
tent of their writing and say something
important.
--Torn Brien
THE SOUTH AND THE SOUTHERNER, by
Ralph McGill, Little, Brown and Com-
pany, 297 pages, $5.00.
'THE SOUTH and the Southerner"
skillfully blends bits of autobiography,
sardonic humor and views of the new and
old South and gives readers several hours
of informative enjoyment.
Ralph McGill, editor of the Atlanta
Constitution, recaptures parts of his care-
free boyhood in Tennessee, a border state
torn between devotion to North and
South.
The book traces his career in the
South's rackus and irresponsible journal-
ism and catches a glimpse of the Vander-
bilt University Fugitives, including Robert
Penn Warren and John Crow Ransom
whom he met in college.
McGill pictures old-fashioned Southern
politicians and shows the rise and fall of
Populist Tom Watson, who lost his thou-
sands of voters through a new registration
law and "turned from a people's man into
a reckless destroyer whose name became
a byword for hate, fear and falsehood."
McGill exposes the Klu Klux Klan as a
political group which used its power to
fleece disenchanted poor farmers of a
registration fee. He notes that "the White
Citizen's Councils, which sprang up like
weeds in the wake of the 1954 school de-
cision, finished the K.K.K. as a major
force."
The K.K.K. had one major asset, since
it forced Southerners to a decision on
race, pro or con. McGill says that "by its
excesses it proved . . . that it, or any other
such organization, provided a refuge for
scoundrels."
The book surveys the new South and
predicts what McGill and his paper have
helped to bring about, that integration
will come to the South along with a new
economic prosperity.
"The South and the Southerner" is an
entertaining and exciting look at the
South and one of its most demonstrative
editors.
Its main fault is that McGill's chron-
ology seems almost non-existent, as he
skips back and forth between looks at his
life, historical Southern portraits and his
future predictions.
For McGill, the signs of desegregation,
occurring without incident, reward him
for his tireless work with "a warm and
rewarding experience" which is an inde-
scribably ecstacy and "a shared existence
which is deeply rewarding."
-Barbara Lazarus
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SEPTEMBER 11
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Baldwin
pasternak
delacroix
prof umo
THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE