Time and Western Man by Wyndham Lewis
"Time and Western Man" is a thought-provoking work by Wyndham Lewis that blends satire, philosophy, and social criticism. Written in the aftermath of World War I, the book critiques the influence of various philosophers, particularly those of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whom Lewis believes contributed to a decline in cultural and intellectual rigor in Europe. Through a lively and often aggressive prose style, he challenges the ideas of thinkers such as Henri Bergson and Alfred North Whitehead, arguing that their philosophies have led to sloppy thinking and a deterioration of artistic standards.
The text is divided into two main sections: "The Revolutionary Simpleton," which addresses artistic and societal issues stemming from these philosophical ideas, and "An Analysis of the Philosophy of Time," a more complex exploration of what Lewis labels the "time-cult." While Lewis's arguments can be extreme, they provoke readers to reconsider accepted notions and engage critically with modern thought. Ultimately, "Time and Western Man" serves as both a literary critique and a demonstration of Lewis's broader artistic talents, making it a unique piece for those interested in the intersections of art, philosophy, and cultural commentary in the 20th century.
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Subject Terms
Time and Western Man by Wyndham Lewis
First published: 1927
Type of work: Cultural criticism/philosophy/literary criticism
Form and Content
The form and content of Time and Western Man are, appropriately, given the author, not easy to explain. They are best understood by examining the complex artistic and intellectual personality of Wyndham Lewis, who by the mid-1920’s was equally famous as a novelist, as a painter, and as a critic. In Time and Western Man, he has taken his interest in philosophy and wedded it to his disdain for certain nineteenth century and early twentieth century philosophers whom he believes have undermined the culture of post-World War I Europe. Their seemingly innocent confirmation of one another’s positions, in Lewis’ opinion, not only ruined philosophy but also seeped into the social sensibility. As a thinker, as a social critic, and as an artist of unusually wide gifts, Lewis is on the attack against the shoddy thinking, as he sees it, developed in Europe under the influence of Henri Bergson, Alfred North Whitehead, Oswald Spengler, and several lesser followers. The rot, he claims, did not stop with philosophers and historians; it also infested the artistic world, and Lewis is willing to take on the task of straightening up literature and the plastic arts at the same time.
There is, however, another aspect of Lewis’ talent that must be understood. He is often (some would say always) a satirist, and as such is not satisfied with simply putting his arguments forward reasonably. A streak of Swiftian excess is often the best part of his work. Lewis is not usually the best source of the facts, but he is always lively and eccentric and occasionally bellicose. Whatever else it is, Time and Western Man is lividly, wittily aggressive and often smartingly comical in the best tradition of roughhouse satire.
Lewis divides the book, if only loosely, into two sections. In the first, “The Revolutionary Simpleton,” he addresses, in the main, the way in which his philosophical enemies have encouraged sloppy thinking and behavior in society and particularly in the arts; he examines with some care specific artists whom he sees as the most serious examples of the problem. The second section, “An Analysis of the Philosophy of Time,” is somewhat more complicated and more dependent on special knowledge. In it, Lewis explores the philosophical influences of the fad he calls “the time-cult.”
Critical Context
Ultimately, Time and Western Man must be seen not as philosophy—or indeed, as an influential criticism of philosophy—but as a literary text. Even if one disagrees with Lewis’ belief that the Bergsonians’ influence was a bad thing, there is clear evidence that the influence existed and that many of the major artists of the twentieth century were determined to put it into action in their works. What Lewis provides is an articulate, sometimes extravagantly zealous attack on the excesses, the limitations, and the failures of those works. He is not always right, and one may well suspect that he is only occasionally right; nevertheless, he knows the danger that artists, particularly lesser artists, face when they record the minutiae of sensation. From Lewis’ extreme position, the well-read student can move back into a more balanced, less prejudiced position, taking along some of the rigorous skepticism of a man who was not easily swayed by fashion and was not afraid of sometimes looking the fool.
The book must also be seen as part of the Lewis canon. He was always a propagandist, a satirist, a troublemaker, and a splendidly irreverent upsetter of literary applecarts. In this work, he turns philosophical polemics into something which looks suspiciously like fun, and he can be read just for the pleasure of watching him blasting his way across the landscape of modern thinking, throwing everything into disarray for the moment, and making it necessary to think again— or, indeed, for the first time—about ideas which have been taken for granted.
Bibliography
Grigson, Geoffrey. A Master of Our Time: A Study of Wyndham Lewis, 1951.
Jameson, Fredric. Fables of Aggression: Wyndham Lewis, the Modernist as Fascist, 1979.
Kenner, Hugh, Wyndham Lewis, 1954.
Pritchard, William H. Wyndham Lewis, 1968.
Tomlin, E.W.F. Wyndham Lewis, 1955.
Wagner, Geoffrey. Wyndham Lewis: A Portrait of the Artist as the Enemy, 1957.