The Owl

Overview

“The Owl” was a newspaper known for being “a traditional miscellany” or in other words, a smorgasbord of unrelated stories.  It had no political influence, and was known for actually rejecting some of the more radical figures of the day, such as T. S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound.

First published in 1919 as the great machine of war wound down to its close, The Owl was decidedly conservative, seeking to publish writers and poets who lacked more radical approaches to their work. In the forward of the first issue, Graves emphasizes that "The Owl has no politics, leads no new movement and is not even the organ of any particular generation." Much of the literature published in the 1919 issues of The Owl reflects elements found in Edwardian, Victorian, and Romantic literature such as an emphasis on a natural beauty. Even in times of political turmoil such as the great First World War, it was as if The Owl did not accept the war as a factor in modeling the nation’s identity, but rather sought to hold to the literary traditions that had decorated the country’s past. 

The periodical's “pursuit of eclecticism” was what inevitably led to its downfall.  Again, this newspaper opposed several of the key literary figures of the day and their ideas that a magazine should provide lasting value or at least take an ideological position.  Sadly, the flight of “The Owl” was to be short-lived; only two issues made it to print before it ran out of buisness.