Prejudices, first series

audiobook

Prejudices, first series

by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken

EN·~5 hours·21 chapters

Chapters

21 total

PREJUDICES FIRST SERIES

0:20

I. CRITICISM OF CRITICISM OF CRITICISM

17:59

II. THE LATE MR. WELLS

19:24

III. ARNOLD BENNETT

23:24

IV. THE DEAN

9:56

V. PROFESSOR VEBLEN

34:40

VI. THE NEW POETRY MOVEMENT

20:20

VII. THE HEIR OF MARK TWAIN

9:56

VIII. HERMANN SUDERMANN

11:40

IX. GEORGE ADE

12:44

Description

In this incisive essay the author turns a skeptical eye toward the self‑appointed guardians of taste. By cataloguing the endless parade of critical schools—from moral watchdogs to pure‑beauty purists, from psychological analysts to rigid metrists—the work reveals how each camp clings to its own formula, often at the expense of the art itself. With a blend of irony and clear logic, the writer shows how many reviewers mistake orthodoxy for virtue and dismiss genuine originality as a threat.

The narrative stays firmly in the first act, exposing the habit of critics to reshape new ideas into familiar patterns and to label daring works as scandalous. Listeners will appreciate the witty dissection of how criticism can become a kind of homiletic preaching, privileging conformity over sincerity. It’s a thought‑provoking, entertaining guide for anyone who has ever wondered why the loudest voices in literature sometimes seem to hear only their own echo.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~5 hours (327K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

2016-11-16

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken

H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken

1880–1956

Known for his sharp wit and fearless opinions, this Baltimore journalist and critic became one of the most recognizable American voices of the early 20th century. His writing mixed satire, reporting, and cultural criticism in a way that still feels lively and provocative.

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