Noël Coward, Rebecca West, and the modernist scene

Hammill, F. (2016) Noël Coward, Rebecca West, and the modernist scene. Modernist Cultures, 11(3), pp. 351-369. (doi: 10.3366/mod.2016.0145)

Abstract

Noël Coward and Rebecca West shared a long friendship, and often met each other at theatrical openings, on transatlantic liners, and at parties hosted by the ‘international set’. Their wary negotiation with one another’s celebrity and cultural value played out not only at these social events but also in print, through reviews, gossip columns, and memoirs. Using the relationship between Coward and West as a case study, this essay explores the social scene of modernism, paying particular attention to the suggestion of theatricality in the word ‘scene’. It takes up the notion of the ‘modernist party’ as, on the one hand, a kind of stage on which celebrities from different spheres performed together, and, on the other, a happening which, through reports in print, contributed to the forming of literary reputations and to the public fascination with modern style.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hammill, Professor Faye
• Authors: Hammill, F.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Literature
• Journal Name: Modernist Cultures
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• ISSN: 2041-1022
• ISSN (Online): 1753-8629
• Published Online: 01 October 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Edinburgh University Press
• First Published: First published in Modernist Cultures 11(3): 351-269
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy