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Quote by H. L. Mencken

“Every reader of the Dreiser novels must cherish astounding specimens--of awkward, platitudinous marginalia, of whole scenes spoiled by bad writing, of phrases as brackish as so many lumps of sodium hyposulphite.”

Quote by H. L. Mencken

Book:A book of prefaces

Work

A book of prefaces

This book compiles prefaces from a diverse range of authors, offering insights into the motivations, intentions, and contexts behind their respective writings. more

Author

H. L. Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. Born on September 12, 1880, and passing away on January 29, 1956, Mencken is renowned for his significant contributions to American culture and language, particularly through his satirical essays and critical analyses of the American establishment. more

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“Such is the art of writing as Dreiser understands it and practices it--an endless piling up of minutiae, an almost ferocious tracking down of ions, electrons and molecules, an unshakable determination to tell it all. One is amazed by the mole-like diligence of the man, and no less by his exasperating disregard for the ease of his readers.”

“One does not arise from such a book as Sister Carrie with a smirk of satisfaction; one leaves it infinitely touched.”

Doe Book Literature Satisfaction Arise Touched Carrie Sister American Literature Smirk

Book:A book of prefaces

Source: A book of prefaces

“To believe that Russia has got rid of the evils of capitalism takes a special kind of mind. It is the same kind of mind that believes that a Holy Roller has got rid of sin.”

Mind Believe Kind Evil Sin Special Holy Capitalism Russia Credulity

Author:H. L. Mencken

“The believing mind reaches its perihelion in the so-called Liberals. They believe in each and every quack who sets up his booth inthe fairgrounds, including the Communists. The Communists have some talents too, but they always fall short of believing in the Liberals.”

Mind Believe Fall Talent Including Communist Quacks

Author:H. L. Mencken

“We have had more brilliant Presidents than Cleveland, and one or two who were considerably more profound, but we have never had one, at least since Washington, whose fundamental character was solider and more admirable.”

Two Character President Fundamentals Profound Brilliant Admirable Cleveland

Book:Mencken Chrestomathy

Source: Mencken Chrestomathy

“What are the characters that I discern most clearly in the so-called Anglo-Saxon type of man? I may answer at once that two stickout above all others. One is his curious and apparently incurable incompetence--his congenital inability to do any difficult thing easily and well, whether it be isolating a bacillus or writing a sonata. The other is his astounding susceptibility to fears and alarms--in short, his hereditary cowardice.... There is no record in history of any Anglo-Saxon nation entering upon any great war without allies.”

Source: Mencken Chrestomathy

“It is difficult to believe that even idiots ever succumbed to such transparent contradictions, to such gaudy processions of mere counter-words, to so vast and obvious a nonsensicalitysentence after sentence that has no apparent meaning at all--stuff quite as bad as the worst bosh of Warren Gamaliel Harding.”

Believe Stuff Difficult Worst Style Mere Obvious Sentences Idiot Contradiction Transparent Procession Gaudy Harding Literary Style

Author:H. L. Mencken

“The editors are committed to nothing save this: to keep common sense as fast as they can, to belabor sham as agreeably as possible, to give civilized entertainment.”

Giving Common Committed Entertainment Commit Common Sense Civilized Editors

Author:H. L. Mencken

“Any defeat, however trivial, may be fatal to a savior of the plain people. They never admire a messiah with a bloody nose.”

People May Defeat Admire Noses Savior Bloody Messiah

Author:H. L. Mencken

“The aim of New Deals is to exterminate the class of creditors and thrust all men into that of debtors. It is like trying to breedcattle with all cows and no bulls.”

Men Trying Deals Class Aim Cows Bulls Thrust Creditors New Deal Debtors

Author:H. L. Mencken