Mencken

Mencken is worth bothering with, especially his work from the 1920s. His targets now seem altogether too easy to make fun of - middle class complacency, small town ignorance, political mediocrity and buffoonery, American self-satisfaction in general - but he skewers them with a contagious sense of fun that is often a joy to read.

With this sort of writing 'tone' is everything. It is easy to overdo it, to add a dash too much of vinegar, to get on one's high horse and lord it, to grow manic or shrill. Mencken can suffer from all these defects, but he avoids them more often than not. That is an artful achievement. To understand just how well Mencken succeeds, you have only to compare him to such contemporaries as Rush Limbaugh.

If you have a reasonable grasp of early 20th century America and the political and social topics of the day, start with his social commentary; there are several collections of these (Prejudices is one). If you want the most accessible door, try his memoirs first. You wouldn't need any background knowledge to enjoy them.

i have "a mencken chrestomathy," and while i'm nowhere near finishing it (it's an enormous book), i've enjoyed every bit of it i've read. everything his critics ever said about him is true - he's cruel and sometimes bigoted, but it's impossible not to be overcome by the sheer zest of his writing, the way he recklessly flings bile in all directions.

it's fascinating to read his comments about now-obscure political personalities of the day - cleveland, coolidge, hoover et al - because if you substitute modern names some of the commentary seems frighteningly relevant.

Also, if you see it somewhere, check out his The American Language, it's really quite an achievement. I have a later edition and i love browsing in it. I have a great album of him speaking that is a hoot. There are solid compendiums both old and new that are well worth seeking out.

I bought the chrestomathy and have read about 40 pages of it. Sorely disappointed thus far. He seems to write entirely in generalities: "The Industrious Man is this," "Women are this," etc. I suppose this was a common style at the time, but I miss specifics and details. Especially since the observations he's making don't seem all that profound or cutting, but just typical misanthropic curmudgeonly bitching (NB I have never listened to Limbaugh, perhaps I lack necessary perspective?). Now and then something pops out but really the only great bit yet came at the end of his preface: "I do not believe in democracy, but I am perfectly willing to admit that it provides the only really amusing form of government ever endured by mankind."

But yes, I am writing this after just 40 pages and I'm not giving up yet. Recommendations appreciated so I can get a glimpse of what others see! I also have The Vintage Mencken, compiled by Alistair Cooke-- possibly a better place to start?

I've always found Mencken's style fascinating, and though he does generalize, he generalizes from a solid base of knowledge (or at least as solid as it could be at the time). I would search for some of the more famous pieces first, the ones that made his reputation, such as "The Sahara of the Bozart" about the then intellectual wasteland of the American South (Mencken admitted later that it had gotten better) and his scathing obituary of William Jennings Bryan (Mencken covered the Scopes trial for the Baltimore Sun, and Bryan died just a few days after the trial ended). I've always had my problems with the Chrestomathy, which is heavily edited and arranged by subject, with some pieces heavily chopped up in order to make them fit. The first Mencken I read was The American Scene, a collection put together by Huntington Cairns in the late 50s. Long out of print but worth hunting for (there are several used copies available on Amazon)--the arrangement of pieces is a little less idiosyncratic than the Chrestomathy, and I think it's an easier place to start. There's also a Prejudices best of that I think is still available.

And whatever you ultimatly decide about Mencken, remember that he inspired Anita Loos to write Gentleman Prefer Blondes, and for that alone he deserves a place in literary history.

The Vintage Mencken is definitely the place to start, it's a greatest hits anthology w/ the Snopes trial coverage, various book reviews and Baltimore boyhood memories being my favorites.

has anyone read teh biography that came out a couple years back?

I would strongly recommend his memoir "Happy Days" about his childhood in Baltimore. "My Life as Author and Editor" edited by Johnathan Yardley is also quite good.

here's that mencken bryan obit - almost frighteningly scathing: http://www.peeniewallie.com/2005/06/h_l_menckens_ob.html

I read the biography--I assume you mean Terry Teachout's--didn't think much of it at the time and now can hardly remember what it was like, which isn't much of a recommendation, I guess. The fact is that Mencken's life, day-to-day, wasn't all that interesting. He had his run-ins with Comstock, and his too-brief marriage, and his stroke, but most of the time he wrote a lot(5,000 words a day, he claimed), read a lot, lived in the same house he grew up in with his brother until the day he died, hung out with a few writers, but mostly with musicians and doctors, and drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of sausage. I would recommend My Life as Author and Editor, though. He stipulated in his will that it not be published until 35 after his death, because he was completely honest about everything and spared no one. He had only gotten up to the founding of the American Mercury when he had his stroke, but it's still a fascinating book.