Prejudices, First Series (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Satirical Essays on American Culture, Politics, and Modern Literary CriticismBy H. L. Mencken
Length7h 23m
About this audiobook
Prejudices, First Series gathers H. L. Mencken's sharply polemical essays on literature, culture, politics, and the American temper, displaying the mordant wit that made him one of the early twentieth century's most formidable critics. Written in a brisk, aphoristic, and combative prose, the volume attacks genteel pieties, provincial moralism, and critical complacency, while situating modern American letters against European standards and the emerging modernist revolt. Mencken, the Baltimore journalist, editor, and essayist, wrote from a lifelong suspicion of orthodoxy and mass opinion. His work at The Smart Set and later The American Mercury placed him at the center of debates over realism, free expression, and cultural authority. His German-American background, journalistic discipline, and admiration for Nietzschean skepticism all inform the book's impatience with sentimentality and democratic cant. This volume is recommended for readers interested in American literary criticism at its most provocative and stylistically vigorous. Though some judgments are deliberately abrasive and historically dated, Prejudices, First Series remains indispensable for understanding Mencken's influence on modern criticism, his defense of intellectual independence, and his enduring talent for making dissent rhetorically exhilarating.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length7 hrs 23 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 20, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
226 A Broadway Brandes
2Introduction
23XII. THE GENEALOGY OF ETIQUETTE
3Author Biography
24XIII. THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE
4Historical Context
25XIV. THE ULSTER POLONIUS
5Synopsis (Selection)
26XV. AN UNHEEDED LAW-GIVER
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6I. CRITICISM OF CRITICISM OF CRITICISM
27XVI. THE BLUSHFUL MYSTERY
7II. THE LATE MR. WELLS
281 Sex Hygiene
8III. ARNOLD BENNETT
292 Art and Sex
9IV. THE DEAN
303 A Loss to Romance
10V. PROFESSOR VEBLEN
314 Sex on the Stage
11VI. THE NEW POETRY MOVEMENT
32XVII. GEORGE JEAN NATHAN
12VII. THE HEIR OF MARK TWAIN
33XVIII. PORTRAIT OF AN IMMORTAL SOUL
13VIII. HERMANN SUDERMANN
34XIX. JACK LONDON
14IX. GEORGE ADE
35XX. AMONG THE AVATARS
15X. THE BUTTE BASHKIRTSEFF
36XXI. THREE AMERICAN IMMORTALS
16XI. SIX MEMBERS OF THE INSTITUTE
371 Aristotelean Obsequies
171 The Boudoir Balzac
382 Edgar Allan Poe
182 A Stranger on Parnassus
393 Memorial Service
193 A Merchant of Mush
40Analysis
204 The Last of the Victorians
41Reflection
215 A Bad Novelist
42Memorable Quotes
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