Ivory Tower

Ivory Tower Robert Finch Few figures in the language of literary criticism have been more widely used and abused than that of the ivory tower. Invented, in its modem sense, over a hundred years ago, it became fashionable in the 1930's, popular in the '40s, and remains both fashionable and popular today. It has, presumably, not once but often passed the lips of any reader of these lines. It has engendered phrases that bid fair to become equally favoured, such as the ivory laboratory in which science segregates itself and the ivory sewer of dirt for art's sake. What is its background? This is not the first time that the origin of the ivory tower figure has been discussed. In 1938 Professor Edman wrote in Philosopher's Holiday under "The Bomb and the Ivory Tower": I have certainly known the phrase, in its metaphorical sense, almost as long as I can remember.... I had never realized until a year or two ago that I had not the slightest idea where the label came from. I found it by accident one day, through the characteristic febrile enterprise of the maga· zine Time. That publication . . . wished to find out where the phrase originated , and lighted upon me. . . . I did not know nor did my colleagues whose specialties were English, French, or Philosophy. Nearly everybody thought Walter Pater was responsible, or possibly some of the French Symbolist poets. Finally somebody was persistent enough to discover the source. The metaphor was given currency in its familiar metaphorical sense by Sainte-Beuve's comments on a poem of Lamartine's called "La Tour d'Ivoire," In the fourth printing of Philosopher's Holiday, Lamartine's name was replaced by that of Alfred de Vigoy. Unfortunately, neither Lamartine nor Vigoy wrote any poem of the kind. Time's enterprise had been more febrile than, apparently, Professor Edman was aware. In 1936, a separately published booklet of letters from Time's readers had quoted Professor Clarke of Yale as stating he believed the phrase was first used in French literary criticism by SainteBeuve about 1837. "In August Thoughts," said Time, paraphrasing 23 24 ROBERT FINCH Professor Clarke, "Sainte-Beuve referred to Poet de Vigny's retreat to his ivory tower. So originated the 'ivory tower' epithet in relation to escapist literature." Time also quoted Dr. F. H. Vizetelly, "famed lexicographer ," as having made reference in this connection to the expression "thy neck is as a tower of ivory" (Song of Solomon) and to the Roman Litany of Loretto where the words "turris eburnea" appear as a description of the Virgin Mary. Professor Clarke's statement might lead one to helieve the phrase belongs to the vast body of Sainte-Beuve's prose criticism. Pensees d'aoilt (surely better translated Thoughts in August) is, however, a book of verse, and whilst the poem containing the phrase might possibly be described as literary criticism it is hardly such in the usual sense of the term. The year after Mr. Edman had taken his philosopher's holiday, a less febrile periodical than Time-the A tLantic Monthly-published an essay (Jan. 1939) by the novelist E. M. Forster, entitled "The Ivory Tower." Mr. Forster wrote: "The phrase The Ivory Tower was first used, in the literary sense, by Sainte-Beuve, when he was examining the work of his friend and contemporary Vigny." True but over-impressive . The "examination" referred to consists of one and a half lines of verse. "Vigny," continues Mr. Forster, "had led an active life, and when he took to writing he tended to withdraw from the hurry, noisiness, muddle and littleness of the world, and contemplate action from the heights like a god, or within a fortress where he remained unscathed." Eloquent but inaccurate. Vigny had indeed led an active life. He served in the army, from 1815 to 1827, but throughout those twelve years he wrote unceasingly . For the following eight years he served in the army of the romantics, playing a leading part in the literary and dramatic campaigns of Paris, still writing all the while. Not until 1838, at the age of 41, did he definitely leave off publishing.' Almost all...