The Little Review

'''''The Little Review''''' was a literary magazine founded in 1914, very shortly before World War 1 broke out. Founded by Margaret Anderson,  it labeled itself as a platform for experimental writing and international art. One of the most defining traits of '''''The Little Review''''' was the refusal to compromise for the general public, including eventually adding the motto "Making No Compromise with the Public Taste", and leaving pages blank to protest a lack of publicly supported material. Eventually, an organization known as the Society for the Suppression of Vice would charge the magazine with obscenity. The magazine's greatest achievement was its serialization of James Joyce's '''''Ulysses'''''.  

<b>Socialism & War by Louis B. Boudin</b><br><br>

Page two of Volume 3 of <b><i>The Little Review</i></b> features a full page ad for a book By Louis B. Boudin named: “Socialism and War.” According to the ad, this book features ideas about Socialism and Imperialism. World War I, known as the “Great War” in this ad, was a consequence of Imperialism. “Socialism collapsed” says Boudin, but he also claims that socialist thought is what eventually caused Imperialism to arise in Europe. Socialist thoughts began as countries wanted to trade and distribute goods to other countries. However Imperialism was eventually introduced as countries wanted more control over goods and attempted to take over other countries. The secret society that assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand wanted to break off Austria-Hungary’s control of the South Slav provinces which later sparked the beginning of World War I. <br> <br>

This ties into the anarchy theme, as <b><i>The Little Review</i></b> often ties socialism to anarcho-communism, or an anarchist society with free cooperation and no power structure, as opposed to a socialist state. The ad is blaming imperialism and, by the author's extension, capitalism for the existence of war, which ties into the anarcho-communist views of the magazine.

<b>The Irish Revolutionists by Padraic Colum</b> <br><br>

This piece focuses on the death of three Irish revolutionary poets. The poets are: Padraic Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, and Joseph Plunkett. At the beginning of World War I in 1914, Ireland was a part of Great Britain. In 1916, Ireland began revolting against Britain to gain their independence and break away from Britain. The three poets were part of the Easter Rising in 1916, where a rebellion was launched to end British rule in Ireland. It ended with unconditional surrender of the rebel forces and most of the leaders were executed. <br><br>

The article is clearly in favor of the poets as it describes them as “Brave, honorable, and distinguished lives.” It claims that the loss of these leaders did not only effect Ireland, but the whole world. It continues with a personal poem from each poet then ends with a passage about each poet and how their actions helped shape the revolution. The constant praise features how passionately <b><i>The Little Review</i></b> feels about these political issues during World War I. It has no problem in pointing out how crudely an English journal published pictures of the revolutionists with a picture of the one who ordered their executions. The article states that the poets have “Intellectual and spiritual faces” while the general who ordered their death has “the face of a man who could never liberate himself.” <br><br>

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<b>Mlle. Marie Laurencin </b><br><br>

This passage is all about feminine painters and their achievements in the art field. It begins with the painter Sophonisba Angussola. The passage praises her work for being in famous museums and sought after by Kings. The excelled her master and made a career for herself in portrait painting.  Even when she was old and blind, she was an amazing teacher of the fine arts. The next featured painter is Mille Marie Laurencin who was known for her feminine aesthetic. Her paintings were put on the same level as Picasso except her paintings were filled with emotion and charm. The third painter is a man, Le Douanier Rosseau. His art often featured feminine features and he was praised for his harmonious shades of the same color. He used delicate tones and his art was also considered to have charm. <br><br>

Towards the end of its life, <b><i>The Little Review</i></b> shifted drastically the to the feminist side of things. This article is an example of that. The word “feminine” is used often to describe these painters in some way. For example, the article states that Sophonisba Angussola is “the most notable example of feminine glory achieved in the plastic arts.” For Laurencin, “she has known to express, in the major art of painting, an entirely feminine aesthetic” and for Rosseau, again, his arts “featured feminine features.” Not only was “feminine” used to describe the painter in some way, but other words such as “charm” and “delicate” were also used. These words are traditionally feminine, especially at this time, so it’s clear that the article is putting emphasis on the feminist side of things. Furthering this, the article speaks nothing but praise for these artists. In particular, it puts Laurencin on the same level as Picasso, a very famous artist, stating that this female artist was just as good as this male one. This passage seems to be a sort of inspiration for feminist readers, encouraging them toward pursuing further artistic endeavors.