Canto VII Society and Class Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #4

Another day, between walls of a sham Mycenian,
'Toc' sphinxes, sham-Memphis columns (78-79)

In case he didn't make his point earlier, Pound revisits his image of fake or "sham" home decorations trying to capture the glory of ancient Greece (columns) or Egypt (sphinxes). But of course, the whole effort is doomed to look stupid and cheap to anyone who actually knows what they're talking about.

Quote #5

House expulsed by this house, but not extinguished (83)

No matter how much the cheap, boring middle class tries to turn a stately old house into something tacky, it can never quite "extinguish" the dignity that this same house used to have. In this sense, Pound is saying the same thing about culture. The middle class might ruin art for everyone, but it can never totally erase the glory that art once had in the past.

Quote #6

The old room of the tawdry class asserts itself (89)

One last time, Pound tells us that no matter how much beauty tries to shine through in the modern age, the boring, superficial people of the world have a way of beating it back down. And no one does this more than the middle class. For Pound, we should basically have the same classes as in the middle ages: the rich people who support artists, the artists who get supported by the rich people, and the humble craftspeople who practice more practical art on a daily basis. In general, the guy isn't a fan of modern society's whole deal, from its art to its social structures.