There's no area of the arts that gets a pass in Lucky Jim. Painting, writing, music-making, dancing—Jim thinks they're all phony. Just take a look at Bertrand Welch (a painter) and his "effeminate" brother Michel (writer). The descriptions of artworks in the book make it clear that Jim thinks they're terribly done and pretentious—all those epic paintings and murals in the rooms of the college buildings. And don't forget Jim's defacing of his roommate's music magazine. Music takes an especially big hit in the novel as Jim wants to flee from the weekend of medieval music and merrymaking at the home of Professor Welch. We have to wonder: does Jim like any kind of art or music?
Questions About Art and Culture
- Between Evan Johns (musician), Bertrand Welch (painter), and Michel Welch (writer), what are we supposed to make of art and artists in this book? Do they have any redeeming value?
- Does Lucky Jim ever suggest that art can enhance your life?
- What's Jim Dixon's personal relationship to art?
Chew on This
In Lucky Jim, art is pretty much a stand-in for everything pointless and pretentious.
In Lucky Jim, only bad art is satirized. Mr. Gore-Urquhart, who's a good guy in the book, is a major patron of the arts, so there must be some good stuff around.