Davidson, Nicholas

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University of Rhode IslandDigitalCommons@URIIannone, Carol: National Council on theHumanities Nomination (1991)Education: National Endowment for the Arts andHumanities, Subject Files I (1973-1996)1991Iannone, Carol: National Council on theHumanities Nomination (1991): Correspondence09Nicholas DavidsonFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_35This Correspondence is brought to you for free and open access by the Education: National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Subject Files I(1973-1996) at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Iannone, Carol: National Council on the Humanities Nomination(1991) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@etal.uri.edu.Recommended CitationDavidson, Nicholas, "Iannone, Carol: National Council on the Humanities Nomination (1991): Correspondence 09" (1991). Iannone,Carol: National Council on the Humanities Nomination (1991). Paper 11.http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_35/11NICllOLAS DAVIDSON 145 EAST 69TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10021 TEL. (212) 879-5765 FAX (212) 879-1586 Tuesday, June 11, 1991 The Honorable Claiborne Pell United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Pell, My father, Frank Davidson, with whom you have had some railroad dealings in the past as I understand it, authorizes me to mention my affiliation with him in writing this letter. I am writing to express my support for the Carol Iannone nomination to the National Council on the Humanities, which I hope you will see your way to supporting. While much has been talked about concerning this subject, almost no one seems to have read Miss Iannone's articles, which are the crux of the matter. To this end, I enclose the piece of hers which launched this whole controversy, believing you will find it not only entertaining but stimulating. Miss Iannone is consistently moderate, balanced, and careful in all she does--rather the antithesis of the Washington Times's recent characterization of her as a "slash-and-burn critic." What the Times did was to describe Patrick Buchanan and affix the name "Carol Iannone" to the description. I enclose my letter on this subj cct, pub l i :;lied in the W.i:~li i IHJton T_in_ig!_>, in the event it may shed any Light on the matter. The charge of insufficient scholarly publication has been launched, and is superficially the most credible in this case. Still, it.is rather amusing to hear the relentlessly highbrow publications ·Miss Iannone writes for--Commentary, The New Criterion--dismissed as "journalistic" by Miss Iannon~'s r~dical foes at the MLA (who themselves loudly call .for the des~ruction of standards at their interminable annual conferences). I say "radical" because the term "liberal" will not do here: nothing so galls a decon~tructioni~t as the term liberal, and for the types who are assa'ssiriating Miss Iannone' s character, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. is a "conservative." While carol Iannone can somewhat more.legitimately be considered a conservative than Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., it must be observed that she is the most moderate of moderate conservatives, and surely among the more moderate of literary critics, in a field where an acid-dipped pen is almost de rigeur. Miss Iannone is at most occasionally arch; she is never intemperate. ,' :.·. " 2 C~rQl ·rariDon~ is in my con~idered judgment, for whatever ·< :~m~la valu~'it ma~ have, America's finest living lit~r~ry .critic, and likely to be remembered as such by posterity. . She has .always condemned as trivial writers who are trivial, .however· fashionable, and praised those who deserve praise, h6~e~er obsc~ie, ~ithout,regard to rabe, gender, and class, irr ..e_spective of the standards of "political correctness" of either the Le'ft or .iihe· Right. Her only known .eccentricity . . · · .- ··(if eccentricity it be} is an attachment to ·the .doctrin·e.s of· , · · Christian Science. rn· ·any event, she is legitimate; and ·the enclo~ed.article is doubtless the strongest indication of this .. !;: remain,· ,. 't ~' ., . :_i ' .. '.~. ' Very respectfully yours, 1 / .------) ~ . _.,.( ;-r ·- l . .<'- ;..-}rl •• -() ,·.1-,/ (..... r:, .,,...-··· Nicholas Davidson Author, editor, and literary agent Alumnus, University of Chicago ·,., .. -·' .. '-'I' •• · . ,. -· i ' •.:.· '' ··' ,l, ,..· . i . ' •, ' >'•J' ... :. ., 

Iannone, Carol: National Council on the Humanities Nomination (1991): Correspondence 09

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Iannone, Carol: National Council on the Humanities Nomination (1991): Correspondence 09

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