.. ' 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 'k11 IrIIyV/W'lL 1 1 I L I ' '. SEPTEMBER 11 , 19 i Baldwin pasternak delacroix prof umo THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE