Question: What Is Invective?
Answer:
As defined in our glossary, invective is language that denounces or casts blame on somebody or something. That language is often highly abusive (an especially virulent form is called bdelygmia) and sometimes witty.
American journalist H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) was a master of comic invective. See, for example, his review essay on English teachers, "The Lower Depths," and his study of the "hideous" landscape of early-20th-century Pittsburgh in "The Libido for the Ugly."
The following short essay by British critic and literary journalist Desmond McCarthy (1877-1952) identifies the strengths and ultimate weaknesses of invective.
Invective
by Desmond McCarthy (1877-1952)
The late Lord Morley, when he was editing the Pall Mall, was amused by a young journalist who, when asked his particular line, replied, "Invective." "Invective? May I ask against what?" "Oh . . . anything--general invective." One recognizes that impartial faculty for getting angry. It can produce sneers, tropes, tremendous metaphors; out of it some pages of memorable prose have been written. Such anger is delicious to experience, for it is accompanied by a glowing sense of superiority, and it can be an immense stimulus to composition. But it can only be cultivated at the sacrifice of some spiritual honesty: that is the price which must be paid. Success depends upon rapidly draining into general channels the contents of your private reservoir of resentments, vainglory, thwarted ambitions, wrongs and grudges. Such emotions are ductile. It is particularly easy to make; for instance, a little current of envy turn furiously the mills of righteous indignation. But then the writer must be unconscious of the sources of this energy. Hence the necessity of a certain dishonesty or lack of self-awareness which, whether inborn or acquired, may sooner or later make a fool of the specialist in invective.
Again, invective which has become a habit is apt, like charm, to lose its virtue, for both depend for their effectiveness on spontaneity. Personal charm which has been extravagantly used for personal ends, from winning hearts to securing corner seats in railway carriages, in time grows blowsy. It gradually loses the brave delicacy and sweet candour proper to it, though its possessor may be quite unaware that this is happening. In the same way the adept at invective does not notice when something has crept into his style which makes it ineffective. His attack may still amuse, even impress the detached reader, but it has become incapable of giving pain to the victim, which is its proper end. A self-delighting exuberance in animosity, a too obvious contentment in the sleek sarcastic phrase, actually bring balm to the wounds which deadly statements ought to inflict. The victim is relieved by observing that the writer is licking the chops of his own malice, and executing a war dance instead of thrusting at the vitals of his enemy.
Swinburne was master of a glorious exuberant invective, but I doubt if his fiercest tirades gave much pain even to Dr Furnivall or Robert Buchanan. The first effect of his "Under the Microscope" is to convince the reader that it must have been immense fun to write it; he is sure that the author, after giving rein to his emotions, must have enjoyed a sunset calm of mind. This, of course, is fatal to the proper purpose of invective.
Originally published in the Sunday Times (London), "Invective" appears in Desmond McCarthy's 1935 collection of essays, Experience.
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