Article #450-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise, by David Graham Phillips

A few years ago, as to the most important and most interesting
subject in the world, the relations of the sexes, an author had
to choose between silence and telling those distorted truths
beside which plain lying seems almost white and quite harmless.
And as no author could afford to be silent on the subject that
underlies all subjects, our literature, in so far as it
attempted to deal with the most vital phases of human nature,
was beneath contempt. The authors who knew they were lying sank
almost as low as the nasty-nice purveyors of fake idealism and
candied pruriency who fancied they were writing the truth. Now
it almost seems that the day of lying conscious and unconscious
is about run. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free."

There are three ways of dealing with the sex relations of men
and women--two wrong and one right.

For lack of more accurate names the two wrong ways may be called
respectively the Anglo-Saxon and the Continental. Both are in
essence processes of spicing up and coloring up perfectly
innocuous facts of nature to make them poisonously attractive to
perverted palates. The wishy-washy literature and the
wishy-washy morality on which it is based are not one stage
more--or less--rotten than the libertine literature and the
libertine morality on which it is based. So far as degrading
effect is concerned, the "pure, sweet" story or play, false to
nature, false to true morality, propagandist of indecent
emotions disguised as idealism, need yield nothing to the
so-called "strong" story. Both pander to different forms of the
same diseased craving for the unnatural. Both produce moral
atrophy. The one tends to encourage the shallow and unthinking
in ignorance of life and so causes them to suffer the merciless
penalties of ignorance. The other tends to miseducate the
shallow and unthinking, to give them a ruinously false notion of
the delights of vice. The Anglo-Saxon "morality" is like a nude
figure salaciously draped; the Continental "strength" is like a
nude figure salaciously distorted. The Anglo-Saxon article reeks
the stench of disinfectants; the Continental reeks the stench of
degenerate perfume. The Continental shouts "Hypocrisy!" at the
Anglo-Saxon; the Anglo-Saxon shouts "Filthiness!" at the
Continental. Both are right; they are twin sisters of the same
horrid mother. And an author of either allegiance has to have
many a redeeming grace of style, of character drawing, of
philosophy, to gain him tolerance in a clean mind.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise by David Graham Phillips**

Context of the Source

David Graham Phillips (1867–1911) was an American journalist and novelist known for his muckraking (investigative journalism exposing social corruption) and his progressive, often controversial views on society, politics, and morality. Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise (1917, published posthumously) is a novel that critiques the hypocrisy of early 20th-century American society, particularly regarding gender, sexuality, and class. The excerpt provided is a prefatory or thematic statement—likely from an author’s note or early chapter—where Phillips lays out his philosophical stance on how literature should (and should not) depict the relations between men and women.

At the time, American literature was heavily censored by Victorian and Puritanical moral standards, which demanded either silence on sexual matters or hypocritical idealization (e.g., "pure" romances that denied human nature). Meanwhile, European (Continental) literature was often more explicit but could veer into sensationalism or decadence without genuine moral or psychological depth. Phillips, a social reformer, argues for a third way: honest, unflinching realism that neither glorifies nor demonizes human sexuality but presents it truthfully.

Themes in the Excerpt

The Failure of Literary Honesty About Sex
- Phillips argues that silence and distortion have dominated discussions of sex in literature.
- Silence (avoiding the topic entirely) is unacceptable because sex is the "most important and most interesting subject in the world"—the foundation of human relationships, power, and society.
- Distorted truths (lying or sentimentalizing) are worse than outright lies because they corrupt understanding while pretending to be moral or enlightened.
The Two "Wrong" Approaches to Depicting Sex
- The Anglo-Saxon Approach (British/American Puritanical tradition):
  - Characterized by: Hypocritical "purity," euphemisms, and false idealism (e.g., romances where passion is sanitized or denied).
  - Effect: Creates a dishonest morality that misleads readers into ignorance, making them unprepared for real-life consequences.
  - Metaphor: "A nude figure salaciously draped"—hiding reality under a thin veil of modesty, which only makes it more titillating.
  - Smell metaphor: "Reeks the stench of disinfectants"—the attempt to "clean" human nature only highlights the rot beneath.
- The Continental Approach (European, particularly French, tradition):
  - Characterized by: Explicitness, libertinism, and glorification of vice (e.g., decadent novels that treat sex as purely hedonistic).
  - Effect: Miseducates readers by making vice seem glamorous, leading to moral decay.
  - Metaphor: "A nude figure salaciously distorted"—twisting natural desires into something grotesque.
  - Smell metaphor: "Reeks the stench of degenerate perfume"—artificial, cloying, and corrupt.
The "Right" Approach: Unflinching Realism
- Phillips does not fully articulate the "right" way in this excerpt, but he implies it involves:
  - Truthfulness (neither hiding nor exaggerating human nature).
  - Moral clarity (not preaching false idealism or glorifying vice).
  - Psychological and social honesty (showing the real consequences of human behavior).
- His novel Susan Lenox attempts this by depicting a woman’s sexual and social struggles without moralizing or sensationalizing.
Moral and Social Critique
- Both approaches (Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy and Continental decadence) degrade society by fostering ignorance or corruption.
- The Anglo-Saxon method leads to suffering from ignorance (e.g., repressed desires exploding in harmful ways).
- The Continental method leads to false expectations of vice (e.g., believing promiscuity is liberating when it may be destructive).
- Result: Moral atrophy—a weakening of genuine ethical understanding.
The Role of the Author
- Phillips suggests that only exceptional writers (those with style, deep characterization, and philosophy) can escape the contempt of a "clean mind" (an intellectually and morally discerning reader).
- Most writers of both traditions are complicit in moral decay, whether they realize it or not.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Extended Metaphor (Nude Figure)
- "The Anglo-Saxon 'morality' is like a nude figure salaciously draped; the Continental 'strength' is like a nude figure salaciously distorted."
  - Nude figure = human sexuality (a natural, inherent part of life).
  - Salaciously draped = Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy (covering up reality in a way that makes it more alluring).
  - Salaciously distorted = Continental decadence (twisting reality into something unnatural and grotesque).
Olfactory Imagery (Smell Metaphors)
- "The Anglo-Saxon article reeks the stench of disinfectants"
  - Disinfectants suggest an attempt to sterilize something inherently messy (human desire), but the smell is overpowering and artificial.
- "The Continental reeks the stench of degenerate perfume"
  - Perfume is meant to be pleasant, but here it’s rotten and excessive, symbolizing false sophistication masking decay.
Parallel Structure & Juxtaposition
- Phillips contrasts the two approaches in a balanced, rhythmic way to emphasize their equal corruption:
  - "The wishy-washy literature... are not one stage more—or less—rotten than the libertine literature..."
  - "The Anglo-Saxon shouts 'Hypocrisy!' at the Continental; the Continental shouts 'Filthiness!' at the Anglo-Saxon."
- This mirroring shows that both sides are two faces of the same problem.
Biblical Allusion
- "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)
  - Phillips invokes a religious idea to legitimize his call for honesty, suggesting that truth is morally liberating.
  - Ironically, he’s challenging religious hypocrisy while using a Christian text—showing his reformist, not anti-religious, stance.
Sarcasm & Satire
- "The 'pure, sweet' story or play, false to nature, false to true morality, propagandist of indecent emotions disguised as idealism..."
  - The scare quotes around "pure, sweet" mock the fake morality of sentimental literature.
- "Twin sisters of the same horrid mother"
  - A grotesque metaphor suggesting that both traditions stem from the same corruption (society’s inability to face truth).
Direct Address & Persuasive Tone
- Phillips speaks to the reader as if in a debate, using rhetorical strategies to convince them of his argument:
  - "No author could afford to be silent..." (appeal to necessity)
  - "Both pander to different forms of the same diseased craving..." (diagnosis of societal illness)
  - "An author of either allegiance has to have many a redeeming grace..." (setting a high standard for literature).

Significance of the Excerpt

A Manifesto for Literary Realism
- Phillips is advocating for a new kind of literature—one that rejects both prudishness and sensationalism in favor of honest, psychologically accurate depictions of human relationships.
- This aligns with Naturalist and early Modernist movements (e.g., Émile Zola, Theodore Dreiser) that sought to expose social truths without moralizing.
Critique of Victorian Hypocrisy
- The Anglo-Saxon tradition he attacks is the Victorian/Edwardian norm—where sex was taboo in literature but rampant in reality (e.g., prostitution, secret affairs).
- His novel Susan Lenox challenges this hypocrisy by showing a woman’s sexual and economic exploitation without romanticizing or condemning her.
Rejection of Decadence
- While Continental literature (e.g., French Naturalism, Oscar Wilde’s aestheticism) was more sexually frank, Phillips argues it often glorified vice without showing its real consequences.
- His work seeks a middle path: acknowledging desire without celebrating destruction.
Feminist Undertones
- Though not explicitly feminist, Phillips’ call for honesty about sex implicitly challenges the double standards that punished women for sexual expression while excusing men.
- Susan Lenox is a fallen woman narrative, but unlike traditional moralistic tales (where the woman is ruined and dies), Phillips allows his heroine agency and redemption.
Influence on Later Literature
- Phillips’ ideas foreshadow later 20th-century literary movements:
  - Modernism (e.g., D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which also argues for sexual honesty).
  - Social Realism (e.g., John Steinbeck, Richard Wright—writers who exposed societal injustices without flinching).
  - Feminist Literature (e.g., Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, which also critiques sexual hypocrisy).

Conclusion: What the Excerpt Reveals About the Text

This passage is not just a literary critique—it’s a moral and artistic declaration. Phillips is positioning his novel as a corrective to the dishonest traditions that came before. His key arguments are:

Literature must tell the truth about sex—neither hiding it nor distorting it.
Both Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy and Continental decadence are harmful—one breeds ignorance, the other corruption.
The only ethical approach is realism—showing human nature as it is, with all its complexities and consequences.
Writers have a responsibility—to rise above cheap morality or sensationalism and engage with truth.

In Susan Lenox, Phillips applies these principles by telling the story of a woman exploited by men and society, neither glorifying her suffering nor condemning her for it. The novel challenges the reader to see the systemic forces that shape her fate—poverty, gender inequality, and sexual double standards—while rejecting easy moral judgments.

This excerpt, then, is both a defense of his own work and a call for a new literary ethos—one that respects the intelligence of the reader and dares to confront the realities of human existence.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s comparison of Anglo-Saxon and Continental approaches to depicting sex relations is primarily structured to:

A. expose the historical origins of literary censorship in Western culture.
B. demonstrate how moral decay is an inevitable consequence of artistic expression.
C. argue that Continental literature, despite its flaws, is superior due to its honesty.
D. propose that the synthesis of both traditions could yield a balanced literary form.
E. illustrate that two ostensibly opposed traditions are symptomatic of the same fundamental corruption.

Question 2

The phrase "the stench of disinfectants" (in reference to Anglo-Saxon morality) functions rhetorically to:

A. evoke the clinical detachment of scientific approaches to human behavior.
B. suggest that moral purity is inherently sterile and devoid of vitality.
C. imply that attempts to sanitize human nature only highlight its inherent filth.
D. contrast the artificiality of Anglo-Saxon norms with the naturalness of Continental libertinism.
E. underscore the paradox of using corrupt methods to achieve an illusion of cleanliness.

Question 3

The author’s assertion that "the day of lying conscious and unconscious is about run" is most closely aligned with which of the following philosophical stances?

A. Moral relativism, as it rejects absolute standards of truth in favor of contextual ethics.
B. Existentialism, in its emphasis on individual responsibility for confronting reality.
C. Utilitarianism, since it prioritizes the greatest good through truthful representation.
D. Romantic idealism, given its faith in the redemptive power of unfiltered emotion.
E. Enlightenment rationalism, with its belief in progress through the dissemination of truth.

Question 4

The passage’s critique of "the 'pure, sweet' story or play" is fundamentally a condemnation of:

A. the aesthetic failure of sentimental literature to engage with complex human emotions.
B. the commercial exploitation of moralistic themes to appeal to a prudish audience.
C. the psychological harm inflicted by false ideals that distort perception of reality.
D. the lack of technical skill in authors who rely on clichés rather than original thought.
E. the hypocrisy of claiming moral superiority while perpetuating ignorance.

Question 5

Which of the following best captures the relationship between the passage’s tone and its argumentative strategy?

A. Ironic detachment, allowing the contradictions of both traditions to expose themselves.
B. Moral urgency, compelling the reader to recognize the stakes of literary honesty.
C. Academic objectivity, presenting a dispassionate analysis of two flawed systems.
D. Satirical exaggeration, caricaturing both traditions to underscore their absurdity.
E. Cynical resignation, acknowledging that no literary approach can escape corruption.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The passage explicitly frames the Anglo-Saxon and Continental approaches as "twin sisters of the same horrid mother," emphasizing that despite their superficial opposition, both stem from a shared failure to engage honestly with human nature. The parallel structure ("The Anglo-Saxon shouts 'Hypocrisy!' at the Continental; the Continental shouts 'Filthiness!' at the Anglo-Saxon. Both are right") reinforces this symmetry, making E the most defensible choice.