Finding
a copy of this book was a tough mission. Out of all the books on the list thus
far, this was by far the most difficult to track down. If you recall, The Mistress of Mellyn was also
difficult and required me to order a copy off of Amazon. At least Amazon had a
large number of copies of that book! When I began searching for A Mencken Chrestomathy, I was unable to
locate it any of the public libraries I used nor was it listed in any main
chain bookstore. Thus, I went to my trusty friend Amazon Prime and Amazon had
to track down a used copy of this book all the way from England to send to me
for the price of $8.99! Some people may say this is too much to pay for a book,
but I had a gift card and free shipping so I say it is a win! By the time I
finally got my hands on the book, I was ready for the task ahead of me and it
was not an easy one…
How many of you can say you have
heard of H. L. Menken?... Anyone? ... Anyone?...That’s what I thought. I, for one, have
never heard of H. L. Menken before I began watching
Gilmore Girls. I always wondered who Menken was and why Rory and
Richard were soooo excited to find
Chrestomathy (Chrestomathy means “a collection of choice passages
from an author or authors”). Now I know…it’s because his writings are not
currently in print anymore. And imagine having to find a copy of his works
without the help of Amazon!
a copy of his
Mencken was a journalist from
Baltimore who was popular in the early 1900s, specifically during the World
Wars. His writings appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines and covered a
variety of topics; some humorous and satirical and some controversial. To me,
Mencken seemed to be controversial for the sake of being controversial. This is
probably why he was so popular and memorable. He called America and mankind out
on their crap and he didn’t do it subtly. Mencken does not appear to be a fan
of anything popular (except for Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). He would probably be that guy
who listened to alternative indie bands and scoffed at girls who drink Pumpkin
Spice Lattes. Personally, I believe that if something is popular, there is
usually a good reason for it being so. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are popular because
they taste good! If you actually like or enjoy something, don’t hide that
because it is popular. Some people purposefully reject anything that is popular
just because they want to seem “cooler” than the crowd. It doesn’t. It just
makes you seem like an asshole. Mencken can
appear this way to a reader, but
you have to remember he is writing this way to make a commentary on American
culture of the time. Writers oftentimes put up a front and the way he appeared
in writing might not be the way he appeared in real life.
There is a wide range of topics that
Mencken covers in this Chrestomathy. After all, it is “his own select of his
choicest writings” (makes him seem kind of arrogant, but that is besides the
point). He covers topics such as different types of men and women, religion,
morals, death, government, crime and punishment, democracy, Americans, utopia,
journalists, criticism, literature, music, and “the lesser arts.” Here are some
of his most interesting ideas:
·
Mencken explains that we view our relatives as
caricatures of ourselves and that is why families do not always get along. We
see how we could turn out or what could have been. This applies mostly to
extended family members such as cousins, aunts, and uncles (15).
·
Mencken seems to give women more credit than
many men during the early 1900s. He makes the argument that women can control
and conceal their emotions better than men (28). This is the opposite of what
most men would say even to this day. Women are often considered the more emotional
and sensitive sex. I am not sure if one gender is better at controlling or
concealing their emotions; it is a person by person skill. I know that I am not
good at controlling or concealing my emotions very well. I wear my emotions on
my face so people tend to know how I am feeling whether I like it or not.
·
“Men do not demand genuine beauty, even in the
most modest doses they are quite content with the mere appearance of beauty”
(38). So does this explain why women wear makeup and most men do not? Women
wear make up to play up their features and to make themselves look more
desirable. If men are content with the appearance of beauty, does that mean
that if someone is not so attractive without makeup, but looks good with a lot
of make up, then they won’t care? That is what I am getting from this, Mencken.
Again, I don’t really think it is as clear-cut as he is saying. It depends on
each person.
·
Mencken claims that writers write better when
they are in misery. This is probably true. When you are upset, it is easiest to
purge those emotions through writing. Getting those words out on paper is a
necessity and you want to express how you are feeling as vividly as possible.
Well, you do this if you are a writer that is. I don’t know what you normal
people do when you are upset.
·
Being from Maryland, Mencken has some
interesting things to say about us Marylanders. “The Marylanders are a gay and
liberty-loving people, and drink and drab, perhaps, somewhat more than is good
for them” (94). I suppose this is true. We are a pretty chipper bunch and are
proud of where we come from.
·
The two key components of a long and happy life
are humor and curiosity. It is true. Life is better when you are laughing. That
sense of curiosity keeps us moving forward and seeking new adventures. When it
comes down to it, humor and curiosity (and love and family) are what makes a
happy life.
·
I always find it interesting when nonteachers
explain their views and ideas on teaching. Some people are very dismissive of
the profession and make me angrier quicker than anyone else. While others are
appreciative of teachers. I prefer the latter. Mencken’s views on teaching made
me chuckle. He writes “Next to the clerk in holy orders, the fellow with the
foulest job in the world is the schoolmaster” (301). It isn’t because teaching
is a bad job, but it is because “they [teachers] wear out their hearts trying
to perform the impossible…to make the great masses of the plain people think”
(301). Thinking about it, I do wear out my heart in this profession. You can’t
help but care about what you are doing and when others don’t care as much as
you, it is emotionally taxing. But caring is exactly what makes me a good
teacher. If you don’t have a passion for it then you aren’t going to be good at
it. Mencken considers teaching a talent;
something that not every person was born to do. He explains that it takes that
talent and a passion for the content for a teacher to be effective. I like to
think that this is where my strengths lie in my profession.
·
Really hates the book Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser that I had to read for my
American Realism class by junior year of college.
·
Overuses the word “sagacity.” We get it! You have
good judgment!
There you have it! The most interesting parts of
A Mencken Chrestomathy by Leigh! It
was an interesting read for sure, but didn’t blow me away. Hopefully, it won’t
be as long until my next post. I have some really interesting things to share on the way :)
Pictures
-https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405980870l/300841.jpg (book cover)
- https://mises.org/sites/default/files/static-page/img/H.L.-Mencken-amused.jpg (Mencken picture)
