''The Egoist'' (subtitled ''An Individualist Review'') was a London

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

published from 1914 to 1919, during which time it published important early

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

poetry and fiction. In its manifesto, it claimed to "recognise no taboos", and published a number of controversial works, such as parts of ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

''. Today, it is considered "England's most important Modernist periodical."

History

''The Egoist'' was founded by

Dora Marsden Dora Marsden (5 March 1882 – 13 December 1960) was an English suffragette, editor of literary journals, and philosopher of language. Beginning her career as an activist in the Women's Social and Political Union, Marsden eventually broke ...

as a successor to her feminist magazine ''

The New Freewoman ''The New Freewoman'' was a monthly London literary magazine edited by Dora Marsden and owned by Harriet Shaw Weaver. Initially, Rebecca West was in charge of the literary content of the magazine, but after meeting Ezra Pound at one of Violet ...

'', but was changed, under the influence of

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

, into a literary magazine. Pound got his benefactor John Quinn to buy him an editorial position in the magazine, and quickly it became a leading publication for

imagist Imagism was a movement in early-20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. It is considered to be the first organized literary modernism, modernist literary movement in the English language. ...

poetry. Its group of friends and contributors includes almost every writer of significance of the time, though some, like

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

(whose "Once" was published in the magazine in 1914), came to denounce it for "editorial sloppiness" and for the philosophical attitudes of its editorial staff. Among the work published in ''The Egoist'' is the work of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

and T. S. Eliot, as well as letters and criticism. Marsden was the editor in the first half of 1914, when it was a fortnightly; for most of its life it was a monthly. Editorship was taken over in July 1914 by

Harriet Shaw Weaver Harriet Shaw Weaver (1 September 1876 – 14 October 1961) was an English political activist and a magazine editor. She was a significant patron of Irish writer James Joyce. Life Harriet Shaw Weaver was born in Frodsham, Cheshire, the sixth of e ...

. Assistant editors were

Richard Aldington Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet, and an early associate of the Imagist movement. He was married to the poet Hilda Doolittle (H. D.) from 1911 to 1938. His 50-year w ...

and Leonard A. Compton-Rickett, with

H. D. Hilda Doolittle (September 10, 1886 – September 27, 1961) was an American modernist poet, novelist, and memoirist who wrote under the name H.D. throughout her life. Her career began in 1911 after she moved to London and co-founded the ...

When Aldington left in 1917 for the Army, his place was taken by T. S. Eliot, who was also working on ''Prufrock and other Observations'' at the time (published as a small book by ''The Egoist''). When it folded in 1919, there were only 400 subscribers, down from 2,000 in 1911 when it was ''

The Freewoman ''The Freewoman'' was a feminist weekly review published between 23 November 1911 and 10 October 1912, and edited by Dora Marsden and Mary Gawthorpe. Although ''The Freewoman'' published articles on women's waged work, housework, motherhood, the ...

''.

Notable contributions

* T. S. Eliot, " Tradition and the Individual Talent", vol. 6, nos. 4 & 5 (September & December 1919). *

, ''

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the first novel of Irish writer James Joyce. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's fictional alter ...

'', starting in 1914; three-and-a-half sections of ''

'' (1919) *

Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''BLAST,'' the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His novels include ''Tarr'' ( ...

, ''

Tarr ''Tarr'' is a modernist novel by Wyndham Lewis, written in 1909–11, revised and expanded in 1914–15 and first serialized in the magazine ''The Egoist (periodical), The Egoist'' from April 1916 until November 1917. The American version was pu ...

'', April 1916 – November 1917. *

Charlotte Mew Charlotte Mary Mew (15 November 1869 – 24 March 1928) was an English poet whose work spans the eras of Victorian poetry and Modernism. Early life and education Mew was born in Bloomsbury, London, daughter of the architect Frederick Mew (18 ...

, "Fête", May 1914 *

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pedia ...

, "The Wanderer" and seven other poems, March 1914; "Transitional" and three other poems, December 1914Williams 477-78.

References

Works cited

* * * * *Edwards, Paul. "Futurism, Literature and the Market," in * Eliot, Valerie. "Introduction," in * *Johnson, Jeri. "Composition and Publication History," in *Longenbach, James. "'Mature Poets Steal': Eliot's Allusive Practice," in *Matherer, Timothy. "T.S. Eliot's Critical Program," in * * *

External links

''The Egoist''
at the

Modernist Journals Project The Modernist Journals Project (MJP) was created in 1995 at Brown University in order to create a database of digitized periodicals connected with the period loosely associated with modernism. The University of Tulsa joined in 2003. The MJP's websit ...

: cover-to-cover, searchable digital edition of all 6 volumes (comprising 74 issues) from No 1.1 (1 January 1914) to No. 6.5 (December 1919). PDFs of these issues may be downloaded for free from the MJP website.
Articles online
from ''The Egoist'' Archive at nonserviam.com
Account of ''The Egoist''
at Modernism Lab Essays, a

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Egoist 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom 1919 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct literary magazines published in the United Kingdom Egoism Biweekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1914 Magazines disestablished in 1919 T. S. Eliot Imagism