The Little Review, March 1914 (Vol. 1, No. 1)

In Short

This introductory issue of a Chicago-based literary journal gathers critical essays, personal reflections, poetry, and publisher announcements to champ a cultural rebirth. Editor Margaret C. Anderson and her contributors confront the stagnation of American letters by dissecting contemporary novels, social philosophy, poetic form, and feminist thought. Rather than offering a single narrative, the periodical presents a unified intellectual rebellion against sentimentalism, moral prudery, and mechanical habit. It endures as a vivid snapshot of early twentieth-century modernist enthusiasm, capturing the exact moment when American critics and artists began demanding a rowdier, more honest engagement with art and life.

The Story

The volume opens with a declarative manifesto on the nature of criticism, framing artistic appreciation as an active, vital force rather than a passive hobby. Criticism, Anderson asserts, is the essential sunlight that keeps the tides of art moving, and American culture suffers from living too swiftly to appreciate the drama of human existence. The text quickly moves to defend John Galsworthy’s controversial novel The Dark Flower, attacking suburban moralists who demand that literature remain cozy, conventional, and harmless. The journal argues that serious art must reflect human experience in all its unsettling subjectivity rather than serving as a comforting moral lesson.

From this editorial foundation, the publication expands into broader social and philosophical critiques. Floyd Dell reflects on Olive Schreiner’s Woman and Labor, drawing a direct parallel between the cultural loss of dignity in work and the spiritual confinement of modern women. He calls for a renewed gospel of labor that frees women from enforced idleness. George Burman Foster then examines the intellectual exhaustion of the era, rejecting traditional religious remedies and framing Friedrich Nietzsche as a necessary prophet of a new culture—a thinker whose radical discontent offers a path toward moral vigor and future growth.

Poetry and cultural commentary break up the prose arguments. George Soule contributes a sonnet celebrating the transformative, conquering power of orchestral music, while Nicholas Vachel Lindsay offers a poem contrasting the pure, spiritual grace of a young dancer named Judith with the weary, painted commercialism of Broadway cabaret performers. Sherwood Anderson warns against the rising "cult of the new," urging writers to focus on the authentic soul of the craftsman rather than grasping at trendy artistic techniques.

The issue’s second half deepens these thematic inquiries through historical and philosophical portraiture. Margery Currey profiles the eighteenth-century salon host Rahel Varnhagen, presenting her fearlessness and passion for truth as a timeless model for feminist independence. Llewellyn Jones assesses Henri Bergson’s philosophy, examining how both political radicals and conservative traditionalists attempt to hijack Bergson's ideas on intuition, while noting Bergson’s theory that laughter serves as a social defense against mechanical behavior. George Soule returns to discuss the rising influence of Italian Futurism, wryly noting its absurd logical extremes alongside its liberating rejection of historical clutter. The magazine concludes with an extensive clearinghouse of publisher notices and book advertisements, grounding its high-minded idealism within the bustling print marketplace of 1914.

How It Unfolds

The call to appreciation The editor declares that life is a glorious performance and defines criticism as the vital appreciation necessary to keep art alive in a hurried American culture.

Defense of the personal A passionate critique defends Galsworthy's The Dark Flower against conservative readers who demand normal, morally tidy, or sweet sentimental fiction.

The gospel of work Floyd Dell uses Olive Schreiner's writings to argue that modern women suffer from an enforced detachment from meaningful, dignified labor.

A prophet for the exhausted George Burman Foster analyzes modern cultural weariness, presenting Nietzsche's radical revaluation of values as a creative force necessary for future growth.

Verse and the new note Poems by Lindsay and Soule celebrate music and dance, while Sherwood Anderson cautions young authors against adopting superficial modernist techniques without genuine artistic soul.

Models of independence Essays on Rahel Varnhagen and Henri Bergson explore how individual intuition, total honesty, and fearlessness can break through rigid social and intellectual conventions.

Marketplace of the new The volume closes with dispatch reports on Futurism and pages of publisher listings, showing the vibrant commercial landscape feeding early twentieth-century readers.

The People

Margaret C. Anderson The editor and central driving voice of the magazine. She seeks an uncompromising, highly personal approach to art and criticism, rejecting timid suburban standards and championing works that shock conventional readers into self-reflection.

Rahel Varnhagen An eighteenth-century Berlin salon hostess presented as an ideal figure of female liberty. She seeks total honesty of thought and freedom from mindless conventions, using the crystal clarity of her mind and rich sympathy to inspire the greatest thinkers of her era.

Friedrich Nietzsche Invoked as the vital philosophical figure needed by a tired modern world. He stands as a knight of the future who rejects static moral systems, forcing humanity to embrace life, beauty, and continuous inner growth.

Antoine Lemaure The delicate fourteen-year-old musical prodigy featured in Ethel Sidgwick's novel Succession, reviewed in the issue. He suffers under the intense emotional weight of his artistic genius, struggling against physical ailments and the overwhelming input of his environment.

In Its Own Voice

"The tides of art would cease to ebb and flow were it not for the sun and moon of appreciation."

This opening editorial statement establishes the journal's foundational belief that creative work cannot survive without vibrant, passionate criticism.

"To her went the acclaimed wise men of the day for the comfort of her fearlessness and simplicity of thought upon their questions."

Margery Currey describes how Rahel Varnhagen's unyielding intellectual honesty made her an indispensable guide for the leading minds of her time.

"When he becomes abstracted, walks mechanically, and in consequence falls over a brick, we laugh at him."

Llewellyn Jones explains Henri Bergson's theory that human laughter functions as a social penalty against those who act like rigid machines rather than living spirits.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume argues against the spiritual paralysis caused by routine, prudery, and unthinking tradition. It asks how the individual can remain vital and creative in an increasingly hurried, mechanized, and socially rigid society. The contributors consistently assert that true morality is not found in adhering to established rules, but in achieving higher personal freedom through rigorous, fearless inquiry. Whether discussing women’s labor, modern orchestral music, or radical philosophy, the text insists that art and life are inseparable. The issue champions a radical openness to the future, arguing that friction, struggle, and intellectual upheaval are essential prerequisites for any genuine cultural rebirth.

Why Read It Today

This collection will fascinate students of modernism, literary historians, and anyone curious about the radical cultural shifts of the early twentieth century. Reading it feels like stepping directly into a dusty, energetic Chicago parlor in 1914, surrounded by young idealists eager to tear down Victorian pieties. The prose vibrates with a hopeful, combative energy that makes historical debates feel surprisingly immediate.

The issue demands patience from modern readers. It assumes a broad familiarity with turn-of-the-century European literature, continental philosophy, and social movements that may feel distant today. Some reviews linger on obscure contemporary novels, and the extensive advertising sections at the back reflect the specific commercial rhetoric of the pre-World War I publishing industry. Yet, the central friction—the struggle between genuine artistic conviction and superficial commercial trends—remains completely fresh. Readers will come away with a renewed appreciation for the courageous, messy work required to build a new cultural movement from the ground up.

<ElicitationsGroup message="Explore this historical literary journal further:">

<Elicitation label="Analyze the feminist arguments presented in this issue" query="Analyze the feminist arguments presented in The Little Review Vol 1 No 1, focusing on the essays on Olive Schreiner and Rahel Varnhagen."/>

<Elicitation label="Compare Anderson's editorial manifesto to other modernist publications" query="Compare Margaret C. Anderson's editorial philosophy in this issue to other early 20th-century modernist literary journals."/>

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