The Minority Press
| Company type | Publishing company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Founder | Gordon Fraser |
| Defunct | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge , United Kingdom |
| Products | Pamphlets, reprints, essays, literary works |
The Minority Press was a short-lived British publishing venture established in 1930 by Gordon Fraser (1911–1981) while he was an undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge. Closely associated with the Leavisian approach to literary criticism, the Press functioned as its publishing outlet, issuing six pamphlets, various reprints accompanied by fresh introductions, and several in-depth essays focused on literary subjects.
Its inaugural publication was Leavis' declaration, Mass Civilization and Minority Culture (1930), with most initial contributors being Fraser's peers at Cambridge. The Press discontinued operations in 1933.
Several works were printed by W. Heffer and Sons, Ltd., based in Cambridge.
Name origin
The title of the Press reflects Leavis' critical stance advocating for a minority culture perspective in opposition to mass pluralism. He maintained that
Only a small fraction of people in any era fully realize the possibilities of human experience, and a significant poet is distinguished because he is part of this group (while also possessing communicative power) ... The majority live by habit and lack full awareness of their emotions; or paradoxically, do not articulate their experiential potential to themselves ... The poet exhibits heightened sensitivity and awareness, embodying sincerity and authenticity beyond the average person. He understands his feelings and interests clearly. His poetic nature arises because his engagement with experience is inseparable from his engagement with language."
Selections from Leavis' Mass Civilization and Minority Culture
"At any given time, the refined appreciation of art and literature rests on a very small minority: only a few possess the ability for spontaneous, direct judgment beyond simple familiarity. A slightly larger minority can affirm such judgments through genuine personal response. ….. This minority capable of valuing figures like Dante, Shakespeare, Donne, Baudelaire, Hardy (to cite major examples) and recognizing their contemporary successors embodies the collective consciousness (or that of a cultural subset) at that moment. This capacity extends beyond isolated aesthetics: it involves receptiveness to theory as well as art, including science and philosophy insofar as they influence understanding of human existence and life's nature. Our access to the finest human experiences from history depends on this minority; they preserve the most delicate and ephemeral elements of tradition. They uphold implicit standards guiding refined living within an era—the discernment that some values surpass others, that certain directions are preferable, that central cultural points lie here rather than elsewhere. They safeguard the language essential for cultivated living... By culture I mean the practice of such a language." (pp. 1–2)
"There is strong reason to believe that the average educated individual a century ago was far more adept at reading than their modern counterpart. Today’s reader is overwhelmed by vastly greater volumes of material...and developing critical judgment has become more challenging...Modern individuals face an overwhelming array of signals so diverse and numerous that discrimination becomes nearly impossible. This encapsulates culture’s predicament overall. Traditional reference points have shifted, multiplied, and overlapped...arts and literatures from various countries and eras have merged...making it increasingly difficult for anyone to be certain about their knowledge or opinions." (pp. 18–19)
The Minority Pamphlets
- F. R. Leavis Mass Civilization and Minority Culture, Minority Pamphlet No. 1, featuring a cover designed by Raymond McGrath. Published by Gordon Fraser under The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1930.
- Theodore Francis Powys (1875–1953) Uriah on the Hill. A short story. Cambridge: The Minority Press, 1930. 20 pages. Cover artwork by Raymond McGrath, BArch, A.R.I.B.A. Edition limited to 85 copies.
- William Hunter The Novels and Stories of T.F. Powys. Cambridge, Minority Press, 1930. 34 pages.
- John Middleton Murry D H Lawrence (Two essays) ["The Doctrine of D H Lawrence" (a review of Lady Chatterley's Lover) and "The Poems of D H Lawrence"]. The cover was created by Raymond McGrath. Pamphlet No. 4. 15 pages. Published in 1930.
- R. P. Blackmur Dirty hands or the true-born censor. Released by The Minority Press; Gordon Fraser at St. John's College Cambridge, 1930. "Minority Pamphlet No. 5"; 15 pages.
- F. R. Leavis D.H. Lawrence, Pamphlet No. 6, comprising 33 pages with illustrations by Raymond McGrath. Published by Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1932.
The Reprint Series
- Mark Van Doren The Poetry of John Dryden. Introduction penned by Bonamy Dobrée (Reprinted and Revised Edition). Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: 1931, 299 pages.
- Henry Fielding "An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews". Includes an introduction authored by Brian W. Downs.
- Norman Angell The Press and the Organization of Society. Revised edition reprinted by The Minority Press, Cambridge, 1933. Total of 70 pages.
- F. R. Leavis For Continuity, Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1933. Contains Leavis' essay "Mass Civilization and Minority Culture". A collection from his literary periodical, Scrutiny. Total length: 219 pages.
Original Literary Works
- Ronald Bottrall The Loosening and Other Poems, published by The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1931. Contains 53 pages with a cover designed by Raymond McGrath.
- Edward Meryon Wilson (translator) The Solitudes of Don Luis de Góngora. Introduction by Rudder. Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: 1931. Some sections had appeared earlier in Experiment, Cambridge Poetry – 1929, and Criterion. Later reissued in a Doubleday paperback and included in Renaissance and Baroque Lyrics (edited by Harold Martin Priest). An unauthorized edition containing errors was released by Las Americas Press in 1965 but was repudiated by Wilson; a corrected version was subsequently published in the same year (Cambridge University Press).
- F. R. Leavis How to Teach Reading: A Primer for Ezra Pound, Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1932. Comprising 49 pages as a response to Ezra Pound's How to Read (1931).
- Lionel Charles Knights How Many Children Had Lady Macbeth? An Essay in the Theory and Practice of Shakespeare Criticism, published in 1933.
- William Allan Edwards Plagiarism. An Essay on Good and Bad Borrowing, Gordon Fraser, The Minority Press: Cambridge, 1933. Limited print run of 1000 copies.