Book #20: A Mencken Chrestomathy by H. L. Mencken

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)

Book #19: Peyton Place by Grace Metalious

            Episode three here we go! This scandalous 1950s novel was referenced by none other than Rory’s grandfather, Richard Gilmore. Kudos to Richard for being familiar with what many would consider a woman’s novel. I had heard the title Peyton Place before, but was not familiar with the novel or the story. When I saw it appear on the list, I had to search several libraries to find a copy of the book as it isn’t one that is incredibly popular with today’s readers. But, boy, in its day was it a well known book…and not exactly for good reasons.

Peyton Place: The Fifty Shades of Grey of the 1950s

            If I were to compare the impact of Peyton Place to contemporary literary situation, I would compare it to that of Fifty Shades of Grey. Now, Peyton Place isn’t about BDSM and is not an erotic novel, but it sparked a similar controversy amongst mass readers. If you remember whenFifty Shades of Grey came out, you probably remember that it was the book that EVERYBODY was talking about. It was the book everyone wanted to read, but was too embarrassed to buy or read it in public. Mothers would hide their books in their nightstands and teenagers would eventually steal their mother’s copy and read it under the confines of their comforters. Many women, of all ages, did the exact same thing with Peyton Place.

            When Peyton Place was first published in 1956, it shocked people because it discussed taboo topics such as abortion, rape, incest, premarital sex, affairs, etc. Metalious also wrote graphic sex scenes which showed women as more than passive bystanders. She depicted women initiating and enjoying sex; something that was missing from other popular novels of the day. It caused such an uproar that entire towns banned the novel and libraries had signs out front saying they did not have copies of the book (maybe that is why it was so hard for me to find a copy). Ardis Cameron explains the entire history in his introduction to “the blockbuster novel that shocked the nation” (as the cover says). The book didn’t really shock me, but I read it sixty years after it was published and these “taboo” topics are talked about in modern literature. And if you were wondering, no,  Fifty Shades of Grey did not shock me. You want to know what book did shock me the first time I read it: Toni Morrison’s Beloved. But that is a story for another day.

“You must be crazy to teach”

            You would not believe how many times I have heard some variation of the above phrase. Most of the time this phrase is preceded with “I don’t know how you do it. I could never do it.” On one hand they call me crazy, on the other, they give me some credit for doing what I do. I must admit, though, that there is some truth to this statement and people have realized this for a long time. Grace Metalious realizes this in her novel. Amongst all her legitimate characters, there is one sane schoolteacher. The character of Constance, who I find to be the most “crazy” makes a remark about the teacher: “My God! Thought Constance, and there are still apparently sane people in this world who take up school teaching by choice! (49). I think this statement explains how us teachers must be crazy. We aren’t crazy for doing the teaching, most of us are actually quite smart; we are crazy because we CHOOSE to teach. Most of us chose this path and even when we bitch and complain about it, we still love it. This is where we confuse people. As the saying goes, we aren’t crazy because we teach, we are crazy because we like it.

Is it easier to read and write than it is to live?

            The character that resonated with me the most was Allison. She was introverted, creative, sensitive, and passionate about her work. This sounds quite a bit like me. I am a bit more positive than Allison and more social than her, but I connected to her because of her passion for reading and writing. One of my favorite exchanges in this novel is between Allison and her stepfather, Tom. Tom says to her, “The main difference is that it is easier to read or write than to live” (370). Allison responds that the main difference has always been that writing and reading are less painful” (370). This exchange is difficult for me to talk about because I have always found solace in reading and writing. I don’t want to say that it is easer to read or write than to live because that seems to belittle these things. Is it saying that reading and writing are not living? And that those who choose to spend their time reading and writing are not living? I do not like these thoughts. By reading, I get to live many lives and be a part of stories and events I could never do in my every day life as Leigh. By writing, I get to dive into my deepest thoughts and express myself in a way that only I can. Maybe reading and writing are not as painful as living because losing someone in real life whether through death or falling out is a million times more painful than reading about it on a page. But, for me, writing can be painful. Of course, the process can be difficult. It is hard to find the right words to put on the page and sometimes you just hit a block. The most painful part of writing, though, is being honest and getting in touch with your emotions. Sometimes when you write, you have to relive events you want to forget, you image the worst scenarios possible, and you have to be vulnerable. Sharing your writing with people is a scary thing and imagining what they are thinking as they are reading your writing is a horrible thing to imagine.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it didn’t strike me in a way that makes me want to scream I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT. If I was twenty-five in 1956, however, I would have eaten this novel up.

Next Up: A Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken. Should be a taste of something different.

Pictures

Book Cover https://images-na.ssl-images amazon.com/images/I/515bJ5j4FxL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Movie Poster https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNjYWU5NmEtNGFjNC00ZjlmLWExZTEtMzY5MzA1MWE4ZDI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzk3NTUwOQ@@._V1_.jpg

Grace Metalious Writing https://photos.vanityfair.com/2015/06/30/55930e3efa1d030e0ac6a2be_grace-metalious-do-not-use.jpg

Book #18 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Does this look like a butt to anybody else?

            “All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” is perhaps one of the most famous lines in all of literature and, thus, opens Leo Tolstoy’s massive Russian novel Anna Karenina. You would be lying if you have not heard some variation of that line above; it is used in reference to many stories (and families) today. After all, you don’t go to the movies or turn on your TV to watch a happy family live out their days. That would be boring. As much as all of us loves to see a happy ending, we like the road to happiness to be as complicated as possible. But if you are Tolstoy, you don’t want a pretty house on the hills to be the end of the road. No, you want the car to crash and everybody to end up in a burning blaze. Sorry to be depressing, but Anna Karenina does not have a happy ending.

            Believe it or not, despite this, I am excited to write this post. Even though I did not like this book, I feel like I have a lot to say. (I know, you are probably thinking “Leigh, do you like any books?” Yes, I do. I’ve just read a lot of clunkers lately). Rather than focusing on all the dreary and depressing aspects of this novel and how frustrating a found the characters, I am choosing to focus on the positive aspects. I feel like I need it and probably you too especially, with the kinds of things you see on the news lately.

            One of my favorite lines from this novel comes hiding in the middle of the dense eight hundred-something page novel from Karenin to his young son. He tells him “If you love the work, you will find your reward in that,” (Tolstoy 52). Now, this concept is nothing new to us. We hope that we can find a job doing what we love because if you have to spend your time working, you may as well be doing something you enjoy. No one wants to spend their time doing something they hate or they are not passionate about. But how many people do you know don’t find some happiness in their work? How many people view their job as simply a place of employment; a way to get money? And how many people do you know are actually passionate about what they do day to day even when it is tough? I am someone who is lucky to do what I am passionate about and enjoy doing it. I am not saying that I have trying days or trying weeks or even trying months. Being a teacher is extremely draining and if you are someone like me, who puts their heart into everything they do, you can take mishaps and one foul student’s remarks extremely personally. Despite the difficulties, I can’t picture myself doing anything else and there are so many students who show me kindness and gratitude on a daily basis. There have been days that I have gone home crying so upset over something that has happened at work, but there are also times I find myself in tears because a student has told me about the impact I have made. One student told me at the end of my first year teaching that he never thought he could write a full blown essay at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year, he said he felt confident writing a pretty good essay because of the way I broke it down for him. Moments like these make my heart warm and is the reason why I do what I do. I like helping my students uncover the strength and talents they never knew they had.

            Many of the characters struggle with finding happiness in this novel. No one is happy in their relationships and when it seems like they are, they question it. For example, Levin finally marries the girl he has been pining over for years (Kitty) and his reaction is “Wait, this is it?” Anna runs off with her lover Vronsky and she becomes depressed because she worries that he will have an affair with someone else. These characters just cannot let themselves be happy. I think happiness is somewhat of a choice, if not a complete choice. You don’t wake up one morning and you are magically happy without any effort. For me, happiness is a choice I have to make every day. It is so easy to let yourself get bogged down by what you don’t have and what other people have therefore limiting your happiness. Society has set standards of what it means to be happy; of what and who you need to have in your life in order to be happy. This can be stressful. It is hard to do, but when you start asking yourself what you actually enjoy and what actually makes you feel happy, you can learn a lot about yourself. For me, I often feel the pressure of making others happy, both in my job and in my personal life, but I realized that I am never going to make other people happy if I don’t make sure I am happy first. That is why I take time for myself. I make sure to read a chapter of a book before bed during the hectic days of coaching and teaching because holding a book instantly relaxes me. I keep a relatively consistent yoga practice because it makes me feel strong both physically and emotionally. I make myself some break and bake cookies when I have a chocolate craving because I know it is important to treat myself. I choose to take care of me because I know I am a more beneficial member of society when I am happy.

I know I have gone off on a tangent with this post and have not really focused on the literary aspects of Anna Karenina (I could’ve bored y’all to death on literary realism), but I felt like I had more important points to hit. This post was an important one for me because I really felt like sharing some positivity and encouragement, as it is the start of a new school year. Even those of us who are not teachers or students still need a little boost around this time. I hope you all are happy that and part of that happiness comes from within. You all deserve that happiness <3

Random Tidbits

- I read the sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep. It was a very enjoyable book, but it is very different than its predecessor. It holds a faster pace and brings in a different sort of supernatural element. It won’t be a classic like The Shining, but it doesn’t need to be.

- Anna Karenina concludes the books listed in episode two of Gilmore Girls. Only two episodes down in about a hundred something episodes. I got a long way to go.

- I wrote this post while watching the 2012 film adaptation of Anna Karenina with Keira Knightly (boy does she do a lot of period pieces). Honestly, I didn’t pay attention too much, but the music was very soothing.

Pictures

Book Cover 1:https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vPf2CfSEL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Book Cover 2:http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1339337/images/o-ANNA-KARENINA-facebook.jpg

Movie Poster: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/75/AnnaKarenina2012Poster.jpg/250px-AnnaKarenina2012Poster.jpg

Book #17: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickins

Book #17: Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

Ranking Dickens

            At this point in the challenge, Charles Dickens seems like an old friend. If you need a refresher, I have already read David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities. Finally, I have made it to Little Dorrit, the last Dickens’ novel I have to read for awhile. I have previously mentioned that Dickens is not the best author to binge read and his novels are best read with a decent amount of space between them. However, since I am extremely stubborn, I made myself read the books on this list in the order they appear in Gilmore Girls episodes and ended up reading these four in the span of six months. This was exhausting because Dickens isn’t exactly light reading. I suppose this is why Dickens’ novels were often originally published in monthly installments such as the case with Little Dorrit. Part of me sees this as smart as it keeps the reader engaged and wanting more, but it also drags out the process. Dickens isn’t like an episode of Scandal; you don’t necessarily have the desire to eagerly await the next installment with a big glass of wine.

            Out of the four Dickens books I have read so far, my rankings stand as: A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Little Dorrit. I believe that Little Dorrit is behind David

Copperfield merely because I read it afterwards. If I read Little Dorrit before David Copperfield, I probably would have liked it more. Most likely, I was burnt out from reading so much Dickens that by the time I came to this book I was just done with him. A lot of the themes and troupes Dickins uses in Little Dorrit, he does so much better in his other books. For example, the main female character of Amy “Little” Dorrit is reminiscent of Dora in David Copperfield. Little Dorrit’s father spends most of his life imprisoned similar to Lucie’s father in A Tale of Two Cities. Little Dorrit and her father are close in a similar manner to Lucie and her father. Arthur Clennam’s “mother” is similar in nature to the mean Mrs. Havisham in Great Expecatations. Furthermore, Amy’s older sister Fanny treats her the same way Pip’s older sister treats him. If Dickens’ other novels were not so great (he really did himself in on this one), maybe Little Dorrit would have stood a chance with me.

Money, Money, Money! (Yes, I am quoting an ABBA song…)

Since Dickens’ is often making a social commentary about money and class in his novels, I thought it be a convenient time to mention my new obsession: Downton Abbey. I know, I am about seven years too late to the party and am going off on a complete tangent here. Everybody has seen this show years ago, but TOO BAD I just started watching it now. I don’t know why I was so resistant to it for so long (there is my stubbornness again) because it is extremely addicting. But clouded under all the drama is a commentary on the British class system and money…just like Dickens! This shows how certain themes and motifs are used continuously throughout story telling. Also, reading Dickens and watching Downton Abbey at the same time made me feel very British and makes me yearn for England. I’ve been there once for a Shakespeare study tour (you’ll hear all about this when we read all that Shakespeare! Yay!) and want to go back desperately. But the more English works I read and more English television shows I watch, the more I attempt to speak in a British accent. I am so sorry to all my friends who have to put up with this. My sister tells me "Leigh, your British accent is you just speaking faster in a higher octave." Sigh....

Gilmore Boys

Since Little Dorrit is centered around a father and daughter relationship, I thought it would be a good time to bring up the father-daughter relationships in Gilmore Girls. We always focus on the mother-daughter relationships in the show, but the father-daughter ones are just as strong. Lorelei and Richard have a complex relationship but at the core, both would do anything for the other. Richard’s presence is huge over the course of the series and his death is omnipresent in the revival. Rory and Christopher’s relationship is not explored as in depth. Christopher is present in Rory’s life, but her loyalties usually side with her mother as she was the one who raised her. I would argue that Luke is more of a father figure to Rory. After all, he is the one that feeds her the most. I feel very lucky that I have such a good relationship with my father; I always have. 

Fun fact: In October 2011, The Guardian released the results of a poll in which readers voted for their favorite Dickens’ novel. Great Expectations won (no surprise, it is pretty great) followed by Bleak House (I’ve never read it, but one of my college English professors always raved about it). David Copperfield won third which surprises me and A Tale of Two Cities made it at four. Little Dorrit was ranked around 11 which isn’t too surprising as many people haven’t heard of it nor is it extremely memorable. It seems that many people had a similar opinion as I did.

Charles, my friend, it has been a fun six months. I've enjoyed (sort of) your stories of poor orphans, imprisoned fathers, and women with fetishes for doppelgängers. But, now, it is time to return to your admirer Leo Tolstoy and finish reading Anna Karenina. Wish me luck!  

Pictures

1.http://www.loyalbooks.com/image/detail/Little-Dorrit.jpg

2.https://a.wattpad.com/cover/111850375-352-k786598.jpg

3. http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/downtonabbey/images/8/83/Downton-Abbey-series-2-cast-promo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131128023506