The Rock, Fall 1978 (Vol

Whittier College Poet Commons The Rock Archives and Special Collections Fall 1978 The Rock, Fall 1978 (vol. 47, no. 3) Whittier College Follow this and additional works at: https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/rock Volume XLVII, No. 3 Fall, 1978 The Rock is published four times a year, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, by Whittier College, Whittier, California 90608 Second-class postage paid at Whittier, California Alumni Officers Robert W. Capps '54, Rosemead, President Susan Elliott Roberts '67, Hacienda Heights, Vice President Richard Thomson '34, Alumni Director Associates Officers Monte Wicker '38, Whittier, President Russell P. Vincent '40, Whittier, 1st Vice President Delta Murphy, Whittier, 2nd Vice President Richard Thomson '34, Whittier, Secretary-Treasurer The Rock Staff Daphne Lorne, Editor Graphic Design by Jackson Dillard/Paul G uayante John Strey, Sports Editor Photography, Ed Prentiss Typesetting, Executive Services CONTENTS: In Quest of a Definition: What is a Political Novel?" An Answer and a Commentary 1 Return Engagement 5 The Athletic Honor Wall 6 Taiwan Tour 8 On Campus 12 Law School 17 Sports 18 OLD ACQUAINTANCES Supplementary Section Cover Photo John Kruissink when, at last, it is served, we may be certain of one thing, the shadow of politics is today almost as omnipresent as the shadow of In nuclear war. You can hardly get away from it. In fact, you can hardly escape it even in a mystery or detective story. I was recently reading an Quest interesting yarn about a girl who sees a murder committed. Dis- what is a cussing it with a British under- cover man, she learns that the 0f "Political Novel"? crime she witnessed is part of a putsch to take over the South An Answer and a Tyrol. "I don't believe it," she says. "The United Nations would Commentary not allow it. It's against Rule A Thirty-one in the United Nations Charter: never interfere with a fait accompli." Definitio n: POLITICS In his provocative book, The Nature of Politics, J. D. B. Miller maintains that "politics" may be Dr. J. William Robinson seen at work "in any situation in life in which there is disagreement on policy." Thus, in this broad sense at least, "politics" is n The Charterhouse of Parma disrupt a work of literature. the process or activity of arriving I the witty and urbane author, While, like politics, political at decisions through the compro- Marie-Henri Stendahi, says "Poli- literature is anything but an ex- mising or resolving of disagree- tics in a work of literature is like a act science, the ingredients for ments. pistol-shot in the middle of a con- built-in success in the best of Such an interpretation, as we cert, something loud and vulgar, these books are as measured as know, is the original and classic yet a thing to which it is impos- anything prepared by Betty meaning of "politics" in Greek sible to refuse one's attention." Crocker. The quality of political language and thought. A broad This is without doubt the most novels does, consequently, vary interpretation such as this would frequently - in fact, inevitably widely. suggest that "politics" occur in - quoted statement about novels Some of them may be both ar- virtually any social context, not concerned with "politics." tistically weak and politically un- only in government, but also in •Stendahl's own work contra- successful. Others may be artisti- the family, the school, business, dicts the great French novelist, cally weak and politically suc- the club, the church - and so on. yet his comment is perfectly ac- cessful (an instance is the case of As the political scientist will in- curate for many other novelists. Uncle Tom's Cabin). Or, on the form us, "Administration" comes "Politics" in some novels (par- other hand, a book may be an (hopefully) next. In other words, ticularly modern ones) of political artistically-enduring classic but you decide what to do ("politics"), corruption do seem "loud and unsuccesful politically. We find and then you do it ("administra- vulgar." In certain books, this exemplified in Dostoyevsky's tion"). moreover, for instance Upton The Possessed. As the centuries have rolled Sinclair's, the reader may hear Occasionally the reader (even a past, however, "politics" (not only not one pistol-shot but a can- professional critic) will come upon in political science but in general) nonade - to the point on occa- a volume which impresses him as has assumed a somewhat narrow- sions of being distractingly being both artistically successful er connotation. It has tended to ridiculous. (Will Rogers once and destined for political success. become associated largely with observed, "I tell you, folks, all Certainly, if the author is to government - or at least with politics is apple sauce.") Some of adeptly measure those afore- events and problems having some the current crop of so-called mentioned "ingredients of suc- measure of governmental associa- political fiction are apple sauce, cess" with precise accuracy, the tion, implication, or concern. The too. trick, of course, is all in knowing governmental level may be inter- But it is not to be suggested how. national, national, state, county, that use of political material must But however the stew turns out or local. But when we think or talk about "politics" we do apply off hand, are War and Peace, The niques, propaganda, and other the term, at least almost always, Fancy Dress Party, and, to cite a devices involved in the ancient to the process of arriving at a couple of relatively recent Cambridge ritual of the campaign decision, a law, a policy, an elec- American so-called political and election of a Master, who tion, or a change of some kind novels - The Big Man and The must be the choice of a majority related to government or with Loser. of the Fellows. We look in upon a society as it is governed. It is There is, unfortunately, no secluded world of only thirteen rather like when we say "He is in precise or exact formula for men, divided sharply (at times bit- politics," what we mean is he has, measuring or judging this sort of terly) into two "parties," each or wants to have, some sort of thing. It boils down to just a ques- with its own candidate for the governmental position, assign- tion of reasonable judgment. In Mastership. The author moves ment, or association. any event, some stories are the reader through the intimate On account of all this we have rather obviously concerned with maneuvers of extremely in- tended to suggest, when we refer politics in only a very incidental telligent men who are colleagues to political novels, stories con- way. (The San Francisco Chroni- and yet in conflict. Behind the cerned with activities, processes, cle once reviewed a book with story of what happens is man's or problems related in some way pretensions to being a political love of power, the supreme to government. novel with these words: "The motivating force of politics. It is a Actually, I regard this as for- chief characters spend so much true lesson in political science, tunate. If it were not so, virtually time in bed that there is little albeit not in a governmental set- all novels would be "political" - time left to attend to the business ting. This is the sort of volume and that, indeed, would make this of campaigning." That is, in a which, as I have suggested, adds subject rather complicated! For it general way, the sort of thing to to the list of true "political is a rare book in which no which I am referring here.) novels." disagreement of any sort occurs. It was mentioned earlier that In the interest of our "quest for When the Sunday School Commit- there are two additional "sign- definition" it occurs to me to add tee harangues about the color of posts" to guide us in determining a word about still another type of the new curtains for the Chil- what are, and what are not, genu- story. I don't know quite how to dren's Room, the Committee is ine political novels. The second categorize it. This is the story engaged in the process of one (which adds to the number) is, which not only has no political set- "politics." Indeed even in Peter perhaps surprisingly, the book ting, but, moreover, has no Rabbit there is at least some which does not have any political political applicability or lesson. argument! characters or setting at all - in But it does have great political the sense, that is, that these have impact. Is such a book a "political SOME ADDITIONAL to do with government at any novel"? SIGNPOSTS level. But they have true meaning Consider, for example, Harriet for, and applicability to, the After some experience in class- politics of the governmental es, seminars, and lecturing about process. "The Political Novel," it seemed Good examples are some of apparent to me that there were C. P. Snow's books, especially his some additional signposts to classic The Masters, and also The guide us in identifying what I ven- Light and the Dark. (Many of ture to designate as "genuine" Snow's works, for instance The political novels. One of these Corridors of Power, have, of tends to narrow the number of course actual governmental peo- books I would consider to be ple dealing with governmental authentic political novels; the problems, but these are not ex- other tends to add to their amples of what I am now writing number. about.) The first is the type of story In The Masters, to continue the which may have a political set- point - we have a novel of ting, or characters who are "in university life.

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