Prejudices, first series

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1880-1956.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Prejudices, First Series" by H. L. Mencken is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The work critiques various cultural and literary figures, showcasing Mencken's biting wit and critical perspective on American society and its literary landscape. The central themes revolve around the role of the critic, the nature of literature, and the pulse of American thought during a time of significant social change. The opening of the collection begins with a discussion of literary criticism, where Mencken highlights the ongoing debate among critics about the function and purpose of criticism itself. He refers to Major J. E. Spingarn's views on the critic's role, arguing that a critic should focus on understanding an artist's true intentions rather than imposing moral or aesthetic judgments. Mencken critiques the varying schools of thought within literary criticism, illustrating his disdain for those who use rigid standards to evaluate art, and ultimately advocating for a more nuanced and personal interpretation of artistic works. This sets the tone for the pieces that follow, as Mencken continues to explore themes of authenticity, moral pretentiousness, and the essence of American culture through his incisive critiques of both individuals and overarching societal trends. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Criticism of criticism of criticism

The late Mr. Wells

Arnold Bennett

The dean

Professor Veblen

The new poetry movement

The heir of Mark Twain

Hermann Sudermann

George Ade

The Butte Bashkirtseff

Six members of the Institute: The Boudoir Balzac. A stranger on Parnassus. A merchant of mush. The last of the Victorians. A bad novelist. A Broadway Brandes

The genealogy of etiquette

The American Magazine

The Ulster Polonius

The unheeded law-giver

The blushful mystery: Sex hygiene. Art and sex. A loss to romance. Sex on the stage

George Jean Nathan

Portrait of an immortal soul

Jack London

Among the avatars

Three American immortals: Aristotelean obsequies. Edgar Allan Poe. Memorial service.

Credits:

E-text prepared by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 58.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.

Release date is 2016-11-16