John Macy's View Of Idealism

Idealism is the unrealistic pursuit of perfection. In the early 1900’s, the majority of people in America were idealistic. Problems of the world were overlooked, making a “sweet, delicate, nicely finished” world (Macy). John Macy was an editor, writer, critic, civil servant, and politician. The majority of Macy’s life was devoted to these passions, including writing works that expressed his ideas. Macy’s view on the world and literature was strongly influenced by the time period in which he lived. Literature was also viewed through this lense. According to Macy, real world problems are never addressed in American literature. However, this is false because American literature not only addresses problems, rather it provides answers to them as well. When

Without some sort of discord, there would be no plot line. The story would be dull, and readers would not want to follow what was occurring. A “long, civilized antagonism” is common for novels that want to engage readers (Dillard 64). There is no point to reading a text without some sort of “rivalry” (Dillard 64). Novels centered on idealism lack these so called “rivalries.” Idealism refuses to acknowledge the existence of problems; therefore, there are none that show up in the book. Furthermore, a piece of idealistic literature lacks necessary content involved in a successful novel. An American Childhood, a common piece of American literature, has a main character that was “suspended from school for smoking cigarettes” (Dillard 234). This “bad girl” side to the main character, Annie, adds excitement, and teaches the readers a lesson as well. The consequences to her actions are discussed, allowing the reader to go out with a new understanding of situations such of that in the text. Another powerful piece of American literature is Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie, a retired college professor, teaches that “if you don’t respect [others], you’re gonna