Just Finished Reading: Constellation of Genius – 1922: Modernism and All That Jazz by Kevin Jackson (FP: 2012) [506pp]

I remember many years ago being invited for an interview to read Modern History at Norwich university on England’s east coast. The interview was scheduled to last around 40-45 minutes and actually ran to well over an hour before we wrapped up. Afterwards the university lowered the grades they had initially given me for my upcoming A-levels. Unfortunately I screwed up my results that year and never actually attended. If I had, of course, my whole life from that day forward would probably have followed a different path than I actually did. The interview lasted much longer than initially planned because the tutor and I got into an interesting discussion which neither of us really wanted to abruptly finish. He started by saying that Oxford university classified their History course into either Ancient or Modern – with the cut-off point being the fall of the western Roman Empire in 476 AD/CE. I think we both though this was far too early to assign something as ‘modern’. “So, what do you think”? he asked…. And off we went. I initially threw out there the proposal of 1945 with the advent of the Atomic Age but thought that’d probably be too late for ‘modern times’ to beginning. I thought it might be dated back to the invention of printing in the early 15^th century and then moved forward to the seemingly obvious break in human history with the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the mid-18^th century. That seemed a pretty good bet. But again I felt that this was too early. We tossed about dates/events for a while – the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 that brought the 30 Years War to an end or the Congress of Vienna in 1815 that reordered the European world after Napoleon. Finally I zeroed in on something later of fundamental impact – WW1. Not only with the explosion of technology that we all take for granted these days – everything from radio, the widespread use of motorised vehicles (including aircraft) – but also for ideas and the breakup of the major European empires and the beginning of the end for the British empire and the seemingly unstoppable rise of America on the world stage. So finally I think I plumped for 1919 and the Versailles Treaties. That’s when the modern world started…………..

So, to my point and the book review! The author of this fascinating, rather odd and very readable book considers 1922 the beginning of what we can call modernism. Bracketed by the two greats of modern literature The Waste Land (T S Elliot) and Ulysses (James Joyce) [neither of which I’ve read] 1922 managed to break the mould from previous ages in innumerate ways:

The first American AM radio station began broadcasting

The first successful use of Insulin

The conclusion of the Washington Naval Conference

The International Court of Justice was established in The Hague

Construction of Yankee Stadium in New York began

The dedication of the Lincoln Memorial

The Hollywood Bowl opened

Walt Disney released his first animated film which lasted 6 minutes

The Ottoman Empire was abolished

The Australian airline Qantas began passenger services

The BBC began regular radio broadcasting in the UK

The appointment of the first US female senator – Rebecca L Felton of Georgia

Author and IRA member Robert Erskine Childers executed by firing squad

Much, of course, was occurring across the globe – the explosion of Jazz in the US and increasingly in Europe, the equally controversial explosion of modern art – painting, architecture, music, poetry, dance, theatre, prose – that either exhilarated or appalled its audiences seemed to emerge almost from nowhere and almost as quickly transmute into something else. Politically there was the fallout from the Versailles Treaties, the growth of right-wing movements in Italy and Germany, revolution and civil war in Russia and Ireland and on and on…. It was, most certainly, a tumultuous time everywhere. Presented in a month by month chronological format that drives the narrative forward and leaving you with the feeling that you just must know what happens next week or next month before bedtime this was a really interesting way of looking at the time. Moving across the globe to pick out people, events or movements – both political or cultural (or sometimes both at the same time) you get a real ‘window’ on the times and actually a real feeling of being there almost as if you’re sitting at breakfast and have just been handed the morning newspaper. Despite looking back 100 years in time it did quite often have a feeling of immediacy. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the 1920’s or any culture vultures.  

New High Score (since records began 22nd October 2020)

Average Page count: 334pp [+3pp]