Is F.

R Leavis justified in his critique of mass media and the assignation of the critic as an
antidote to the culture of standardization?

An opinion with reference to Leavis’ Mass Civilization and Minority Culture

By

Saleem Akhtar

H1758034

Literature and Society – 532

Department of English, University of Karachi

Frank Raymond Leavis, commonly known as F.R. Leavis, was an English literary critic, who with
reference to literature was a liberal humanist, and with reference to culture a conservative authority. 1 The
two mentioned outlooks of his persona can very well be noticed in his essay Mass Civilization and
Minority Culture, published in 1930. In this essay, being an authority on culture, Leavis appears to
criticize the popular American culture of that time, which according to him might disintegrate the culture
of Britain. As to conserve the British culture, Leavis appears to assign this authority to “minority culture”
that, according to him, unlike mass civilization, could discriminate between good and bad production; and
thus, on the basis of their objective discrimination, be allowed to appreciate or criticize the production.
The term ‘production’, since it appears to be somewhat ambiguous, it can thus be referred to as the
production of media: arts, literature, newspapers and magazines, etc.

Since the justification of Leavis’ criticism on mass media is dependent on its context, as to approve or
disapprove his justification, it is intended first to have a look of historical context mass media. After the
rise of industrialization and capitalism in America, the corporations --- both American and European ---
started to invest highly in America. Because at that time America had become both a ‘mass producer’ and
a ‘mass consumer’, on the principle of demand and supply, producers started to produce what was highly
demanded --- as to earn maximum profit. Since America, at its most, encompassed an urban working-
class community, the demand for production complying with the taste and preference of consumers lead
the producers to standardize the production by devaluating its essentials. This culture of standardization
was what Leavis appears to criticize in his essay by calling it ‘Americanization’ that harms culture by
devaluating the product (language used in media production).

For Leavis, culture (traditional British culture) is what appears to be of utmost importance. The adverse
results of Americanization that, according to Leavis, might badly affect the British culture; as to preserve
it from further harm, Leavis appears, in this essay, resolving for the assignation of the critic as an antidote
to culture of standardization. The critique of Leavis on mass media however appears to hold some basic
foibles regarding its logic --- ‘subjective’ preference to remain reserved, aesthetically traditional and
objective while discriminating --- but in a conservative circle it is very well justified on the basis of its
ends --- especially in this age where globalization and liberalism have swiped off even the traces of
tradition and culture.

Be a liberal or a conservative, but if studied Leavis’ critique of mass media with a broad mind, one shall
doubtlessly be resolved to maintain that his critique is very well justified. The reason why his critique is
successfully justified is that, for last century, humankind following the lead of Americanization and
liberalism can now be seen advancing toward the world of complete anarchy. Since liberalism has
contentiously been guaranteeing one’s individuality and has allowed the individuals to practice
nonconformity freely, by having got free from the chains of authority, the individuals (belonging to mass
civilization) have not only destroyed the “great tradition” but have also broke the moral conventions of
society. Live-in relationships, hippie culture, homosexual movements, all can be considered as the results
of one’s individualism to which Americanization (a blend of capitalism and petty liberalism) has
continuously been feeding.

1
“Restoring the Meaning of Conservatism. - Free Online Library,” www.thefreelibrary.com, n.d., <a
href="https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Restoring+the+meaning+of+conservatism.-
a0139587022">https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Restoring+the+meaning+of+conservatism.-a0139587022</a>.
Not only the popular demands of masses for productions: Hollywood, popular pop music, popular fiction,
avant-garde art and architecture, have resulted in the devaluation of traditional culture, but the culture of
standardization chiefly carried out by capitalists has also helped the popular culture to grow as an order of
the age: “the standardization in the form represented by the press, it becomes obviously of sinister
significance that they should be accompanied by a process of leveling-down”. 2 Since ‘standardization
culture’ is what has continuously been harming the traditional culture by the process of ‘leveling-down’;
and has resulted in the growth of an undervalued popular culture; the popular culture supported by
individualism and relativism --- liberal ideals --- has also helped the society to become decentralized. This
decentralization of society is also what Leavis appears to resist in his essay. According to him liberty
must only be cherished by ‘minority culture’ so that it could freely keep the direction of culture: by
discriminating objectively between good and bad production.

Leavis is also very well justified in the assignation of the critic as an antidote to the culture of
standardization. Because ‘standardization culture’ has highly affected the traditional culture, as to keep
the culture from further deterioration, his notion to empower and approve ‘minority culture’ as to criticize
what is bad of the popular culture, holds his no concerns other than the betterment of culture. His
suggested method to conserve the culture holds the preservation of literature (language) at its base.
According to his theory of culture, culture may well be referred to the ‘language’: that is to say language
is what, according to Leavis, culture is. The ‘canonization of literature’ which, according to Leavis, is the
only adequate way to conserve the culture, may serve very well, as has been previously, in keeping the
society centralized under the dominance of a ‘high culture’--- “The Great Tradition”. 3

Moreover, as an antidote to the ‘standardization culture’, Leavis appears to assign a critic --- belonging to
minority culture --- as to carry out his job of conserving the culture by criticizing popular culture and the
‘culture of standardization’; and also by canonizing the great Literature. Though one may not appreciate
his suggestion of canonization, but still it appears as quite difficult for one to disapprove his suggestion of
canonization; since according to his theory of culture, culture can only be conserved if language be
preserved or literature canonized.4

On the whole, the conservation of culture is what appears to serve as the basic concern of Leavis’ essay
Mass Civilization and Minority Culture. Any tendencies, be it popular demand of masses or the
‘standardization culture’ of American corporation, which appear to challenge or harm the traditional
culture of Britain, as to oppose their influence, this critique of Leavis appears to serve quite efficiently.
The growing deterioration of culture, which on the hand justifies his critique of mass media; on the other
hand, it also justifies his assignation of the critic as an antidote to the culture of standardization.

2
F R Leavis, Mass Civilisation and Minority Culture (Darby, Pa.: Arden Library, 1979).
3
“The Tradition of Leavisism,” Blogspot.com, 2010, <a
href="https://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2010/12/tradition-of-
leavisism.html">https://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2010/12/tradition-of-leavisism.html</a>.
4
Ibid
 Bibliography

Leavis, F R. Mass Civilisation and Minority Culture. Darby, Pa.: Arden Library, 1979.
“Restoring the Meaning of Conservatism. - Free Online Library.” www.thefreelibrary.com, n.d.
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Restoring+the+meaning+of+conservatism.-
a0139587022.
“The Tradition of Leavisism.” Blogspot.com, 2010.
https://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2010/12/tradition-of-leavisism.html.