Mammonart
Encyclopedia
Mammonart. An Essay on Economic Interpretation is a book of literary criticism from a Socialist
point of view of the traditional ‘great authors’ of Western and American literature (along with a few painters and composers). Mammonart was written by the prolific muckraking
journalist, novelist and Socialist activist Upton Sinclair
, and published in 1925.
s. The series also includes The Profits of Religion
, The Brass Check
(journalism), The Goose-step
(higher education), The Goslings (elementary and high school education), and Money Writes! (literature). The term "Dead Hand" criticizes Adam Smith
's concept that allowing an "invisible hand" of many people's individual self-interests to shape economic relations provides the best result for society as a whole.
Sinclair intended Mammonart to be an alternative "textbook of culture" (p. 384). He says he expected it to soon be used as a textbook in Russian high schools, and hoped that it would be adopted by other European countries after they experienced Socialist revolutions.
In each chapter, Sinclair critiques an artist according to his or her support for the rich and powerful. Most artists do not challenge the status quo and take positions such as 'art for art's sake' or 'art is entertainment.' No matter how beautiful their work, by their passivity such artists perpetuate oppression and inequality.
For example, in the chapter on Shakespeare, entitled ‘Phosphorence and Decay,’ Sinclair praises the writer's glorious facility with words; however, this great talent "saved him from thinking." In contrast, Dickens
’ unique contribution was to "force into aristocratic and exclusive realms of art the revolutionary notion that the poor and degraded are equally as interesting as the rich and respectable."
Mammonart is notable for Sinclair's repeated statement that all art, including his own, is propaganda. The popular distinction between propagandists like Jesus and Tolstoi, and Shakespeare and Goethe, who are "pure and unsullied creative artists...is purely a class distinction and a class weapon..." (p. 106)
The list of artists discussed is similar, though shorter, to a 1940 list of Great Books
. Sinclair also includes writers of lesser importance who were included at the time in the American literary canon
.
Artists discussed:
Mammonart was reprinted in paperback in 2003 by Simon Publications, ISBN 0972518975.
Mammonart has been mostly ignored by critics. Very few reviews are available from online scholarly databases.
"Great art is produced when propaganda of vitality and importance is put across with technical competence in terms of the art selected." (p. 10)
On his enjoyment of John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress, "One does not escape the need of personal morality by espousing proletarian revolution." (p. 112)
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
point of view of the traditional ‘great authors’ of Western and American literature (along with a few painters and composers). Mammonart was written by the prolific muckraking
Muckraker
The term muckraker is closely associated with reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines, continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting, and emerged in the United States after 1900 and continued to be influential until World War I, when through a combination...
journalist, novelist and Socialist activist Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
, and published in 1925.
Overview
The book is one of the "Dead Hand" series: six books Sinclair wrote on American institutionInstitution
An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community...
s. The series also includes The Profits of Religion
The Profits of Religion
The Profits of Religion: An Essay in Economic Interpretation is a nonfiction book, first published in 1917, by the American novelist and muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair. It is a snapshot of the religious movements in the U.S. before its entry into World War I.The book is the first of the “Dead...
, The Brass Check
The Brass Check
The Brass Check is a muckraking exposé of American journalism by Upton Sinclair published in 1919. It focuses mainly on newspapers and the Associated Press wire service, along with a few magazines. Other critiques of the press had appeared, but Sinclair reached a wider audience with his personal...
(journalism), The Goose-step
The Goose-Step (book)
The Goose-step: A Study of American Education is a book, published in 1923, by the American novelist and muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair. It is an investigation into the consequences of plutocratic capitalist control of American colleges and universities...
(higher education), The Goslings (elementary and high school education), and Money Writes! (literature). The term "Dead Hand" criticizes Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
's concept that allowing an "invisible hand" of many people's individual self-interests to shape economic relations provides the best result for society as a whole.
Sinclair intended Mammonart to be an alternative "textbook of culture" (p. 384). He says he expected it to soon be used as a textbook in Russian high schools, and hoped that it would be adopted by other European countries after they experienced Socialist revolutions.
In each chapter, Sinclair critiques an artist according to his or her support for the rich and powerful. Most artists do not challenge the status quo and take positions such as 'art for art's sake' or 'art is entertainment.' No matter how beautiful their work, by their passivity such artists perpetuate oppression and inequality.
For example, in the chapter on Shakespeare, entitled ‘Phosphorence and Decay,’ Sinclair praises the writer's glorious facility with words; however, this great talent "saved him from thinking." In contrast, Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
’ unique contribution was to "force into aristocratic and exclusive realms of art the revolutionary notion that the poor and degraded are equally as interesting as the rich and respectable."
Mammonart is notable for Sinclair's repeated statement that all art, including his own, is propaganda. The popular distinction between propagandists like Jesus and Tolstoi, and Shakespeare and Goethe, who are "pure and unsullied creative artists...is purely a class distinction and a class weapon..." (p. 106)
The list of artists discussed is similar, though shorter, to a 1940 list of Great Books
Great Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
. Sinclair also includes writers of lesser importance who were included at the time in the American literary canon
American literature
American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
.
Artists discussed:
Mammonart was reprinted in paperback in 2003 by Simon Publications, ISBN 0972518975.
Critical reception
Mammonart was read by undergraduates in the 1920s.Mammonart has been mostly ignored by critics. Very few reviews are available from online scholarly databases.
Quotations
"All art is propaganda. It is universally and inescapably propaganda; sometimes unconsciously, but often deliberately, propaganda." (p. 9)"Great art is produced when propaganda of vitality and importance is put across with technical competence in terms of the art selected." (p. 10)
On his enjoyment of John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress, "One does not escape the need of personal morality by espousing proletarian revolution." (p. 112)
External links
- Sinclair's papers for Mammonart are at the Lilly Library, Indiana UniversityIndiana University BloomingtonIndiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
, Bloomington, Indiana.