TheLibidofortheUgly课件讲义概要.pptVIP

The Libido for the Ugly(爱丑之欲) Henry Louis Mencken Outline of Class Teaching An introduction to Henry Louis Mencken His early life and career His writing style His contributions to American language Reading theory on “Description” Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) The 1st American to be widely read as a critic (批评家) Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) Born in Baltimore Privately educated there Graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) Became a reporter on Baltimore Herald Joined Sunpaper Edited Smart Set Edited American Mercury H. L. Mencken’s Great Concerns He was a central figure in American intellectual life in the 1920s. He launched the most cutting attacks against America’s middle class culture. In his witty and satirical essays, he mocked the institution which supported the middle class. He enjoyed, met and challenged his antagonists with his direct and devastating attacks. H. L. Menken’s Great Concerns He hated narrowed-minded religions and strongly supported intellectual freedom. He fought with every effort to maintain the independence of literature. He felt the greatest threat of literature was the country’s prevailing religion “fundamentalism”, the opinions of which were based on the literary interpretation of the Bible. H. L. Menken’s Great Concerns He hated commercialism and did not supported democracy, because he believed the majority of American population were too ignorant and greedy to exert “democracy” wisely. Mencken’s Writing Style “I opened A Book of Prejudices and began to read. I was jarred and shocked by the style, the clear, clean, sweeping sentences. Why did he write like that? And how did one write like that? I pictured the man as a raging demon, slashing with his pen. I read on and what amazed me was not what he said, but how on earth anybody had the courage to say it…I identified myself with that book.” -----Richard Wright M