on the part of a reasonable reader. Men arenreduced by decree to freakishness ornmoronicality, to human junk and refuse.nThis is a vitiated and crippled vision of life ;nit demonstrates the objective paltriness ofnthe neo-feminine novel as a literary genre.nThe obsequious liberal critics, however,navoid reminding us these days what a richnlore of femininity has been created by malenauthors, and with what fairness, compassionnand subtlety Flaubert, Tolstoy,nHenry James used to write about women.n>f: % %nMany would say that a few novels, evennthose with a long period on the nationalnbestseller list, could not make much differencento what happens in America. That isna naive supposition. A social mood, creatednand reenforced by culture, can wear awaynthe principles of the American Constitution,nneutralize the checks-and-balances systemnwhich warrants our political freedoms, andndisintegrate the free market economynwhich makes us better nourished andnclothed than any other society on thisnplanet. In the never-ending struggle fornpreservation and proper social care of thesentangible values, literature makes a difference.nIt either bolsters or underminesnthem — although the effects of eithernprocess are only visible from some distancenin time.nFor the first issue of Chronicles of Culturenwe have chosen the feminine novel whichnseems to us a striking example of the statusnof our culture, of the degeneration of ournsocio-cultural mechanism. The four titles,nwhich epitomize this type of novel, havenbeen excessively praised as eminentnliterary achievements and have soldnhundreds of thousands of copies in hardncover editions. Their overall proclamationnseems to be moral lethargy, cheap andnfacile alienation, sexual aimlessness ahdnhopelessness as human destiny, if notnhuman virtue. For reasons known only tonthemselves, the literary editors of majornAmerican publications have selected criticsnwho are sympathetic to the convictions ofnthe feminine novelists of the seventies tonreview and criticize these books. The resultnhas been a lavish outburst of enthusiasticnapplause throughout America. A slick andnspurious conceptualization of reality hasnturned, with the concerted help of thenLiberal Cultural establishment, into thenreigning socio-cultural haze which hasnbegun to contaminate the minds, souls andnambitions of a large number of women. We,nat the Rockford College Institute, takenexception to this glut of jubilation: we seenthese novels as representatives of anspecious philosophy and morality, asnmendacious presentations of the issues, andnas rather flawed pieces of writing.nSlaves of high fashion, the editors of ThenNew York Times, Esquire, Book World,nPlayboy never stop performing the ritualsnof cant; if marxism, feminism, nihilism ornpromiscuity become fashionable, theneditors invite marxists, feminists, nihilistsnand lechers to review marxist, feminist,nnihilist and lewd books. It goes withoutnsaying that under such conditions honestnliterary criticism has little chance, andnthose who wield the power of liberal opinionnhave little use for it. How, then, cannrationality and fairness defend themselvesnand survive in contemporary Americannliterature? No easy answers come to mind.nAs a modest device to debunk falsehood andnidentify trash, the Chronicles of Culture,nperhaps, can be of some help.n—Leopold TyrmandnMr. Tyrmand, a novelist and literary critic,nbelieves that men write better about women thannvice versa.n— If you are not yet a member or supporter of thenRockford College Institute, and would like tonbecome one;n— If you would like to learn more about it;nplease contact:nThe Rockford College InstitutenRockford CollegenRockford, Illinois 61101nTelephone: 815/226-4016nChronicles of Culture -5nnn