MIDWIFE OF THE FUTURE

Frederick Turner argues in The Culture of Hope that avant-garde attitu des have become obsolete, inhibiting, and altogether blind to the crea tive possibilities of the future, with its new science and technology and triumphant capitalism. Paradoxically, Turner argues, the cultural future in volves a regression to a classical spirit, indeed, to tradit ional modes of representation and a new religiosity. But Turner has so ld avant-garde achievement short, even misrepresented it, however corr ect his analysis and assessment of its current character. He has also overestimated capitalism and religion, and his paradigm deploys cliche s of decadence and renewal in a Manichean struggle. While his hopefuln ess is admirable, it is tragically inadequate.