Due to a light workload this week, I was able to consume Maugham’s novella The Painted Veil yesterday afternoon. The story really grabs hold of you. Walter Fane, a bacteriologist in Hong Kong, discovers his wife Kitty’s affair with Charles Townsend. He forces her to accompany him into the heart of a cholera epidemic in the Chinese countryside, where she begins to find new depths to her character. She finds work and self-worth at a convent taking care of orphaned children. She and Walter dance around each other but begin to find a common respect for one another. But then Walter contracts cholera and dies, leaving Kitty with the realization that she has nowhere else to go. She returns to England, after first having a adulterous relapse in Hong Kong, and tries to the attention and love of her father. In the end, she decides to raise her unborn daughter as an independent minded woman, so as not to end up like her.
Kitty’s spiritual journey seems rather trite to modern eyes, but I can’t deny the strength of the story. The characters seem a little thin at times too, but occasionally they surprise you. Overall, I found it a great read.

I finished Franzen’s first book last night The 27th City. I am not really sure what to say about it, except that I found it nowhere near as good as The Corrections. The plot was overdone. There were too many characters to keep straight. And the sense of urgency that filled the book was annoying and unwarranted. I think the Complete Review’s coverage is better than mine. So you should check that out if you want a lengthy review.

One of America’s preeminent critics in the 20s, 30s and 40s, H.L. Mencken was known for his no-holds-barred attacks on Puritanism, the “booboisie,” (a term he created and intellectual laziness and corruption. People either loved him or hated him, but everybody listened. He was first and foremost a journalist and he helped discover some of the greatest writers of the 20th century as founder and editor of the influential American Mercury magazine, including Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis. He heralded Huckleberry Finn as the greatest American novel and made the notorious Scopes trial one of the biggest landmarks in American law history. His bestselling books covered topics as varied as the imperfections of women, the American language (as opposed to the Queen’s English) and the failures of democracy. Most of all, he loved to write about Puritanism overtaking America.

Terry Teachout’s biography is not all praise, however, and Mencken had plenty of shortcomings. Mencken lived in the same house in Baltimore for all but five years of his life, and Teachout blames this and his lack of formal education for Mencken’s narrow vision and the fact that his tastes and politics never seemed to change. Teachout also addresses the complex issues surrounding Mencken’s racism and anti-Semitism, which lost him both credibility and readership. His pro-German views also were detrimental during the periods before and during the two world wars. Mencken wrote against lynchings and the continuing segregation of Baltimore’s sports clubs, and counted numerous Jews and African-Americans as his friends. In fact, one of his longest friendships was with Alfred Knopf, one of America’s most influential publishers. But his views towards minorities were negative and conflicting. For example, he often proclaimed his belief in every individual’s freedom, but considered non-Caucasians inferior, dismissed Hitler as a crank, and seemed to think that the Jews had brought the holocaust upon themselves.

I originally picked up this book both because I enjoy Terry Teachout’s weblog and wanted to read more of his work, and because I wanted to learn more bout Mencken. I was well-rewarded: even during the offensive, obscure, or boring parts of Menken’s life, Teachout’s style held my interest and kept the content relevant. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has wondered about the considerable influence of one of the angriest writers of the last century, as well as to those interested in the history of journalism, literature, and ideas.

I made a trip down to the Used department today and this is what I got:

The Pained Veil by W. Somerset Maughm—-I am reading Maughm’s recent biography right now and consider The Razor’s Edge and Of Human Bondage two of my favorite books of all time.

The Book of Evidence and Mefisto by John Banville—-There has been a discussion over at Tingle Alley about where to begin with Banville. The ever helpful TEV suggested The Book of Evidence.

The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy—-I read The Group last Fall and loved it. I remember someone recommending this one somewhere.

Blue Angel by Francine Prose—-I have always heard good things about this book.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men—-Everyone either loves this one or hates it. I thought it time I found out for myself.

Do you envy my future reading yet?