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Ancient History. One of the articles of contemporary belief holds that the novel is perishing, that film alone is fresh and relevant. In fact, the new permissiveness in cinema is ancient history to the novelist. Long ago, Proust annihilated time, Joyce pulverized linear storytelling, and Lawrence shouted down the censors and proclaimed sexual freedom. Film is a lens that magnifies the artist as well as his material. Opulent new methods cannot conceal meanness of imagination. Deliberate scene-by-scene narrative cannot disturb the talent of a novelist whose work is done and a film maker whose career has scarcely begun.
· Stefan Kanfer