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Life, 1897-10-28 · page 16 of 22

Life — October 28, 1897 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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Life — October 28, 1897 — page 16: Life, 1897-10-28

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the oversupply of minor poets in the late Victorian literary market. The main article mocks young, ambitious poets ("bardlets") who publish through prestigious houses like The Bodley Head and Elkin Mathew, using experimental techniques—rough paper, Aubrey Beardsley illustrations, provocative content—to seem important. Yet their books remain unsold and cheap. The satire targets the poets' pretensions: they rely on critical puffery (Richard Le Gallienne's praise), de luxe editions, and shock value rather than genuine talent. The repeated refrain "Minor poets are cheap to-day!" captures their despair that even elaborate production cannot save mediocre work. This reflects a real publishing phenomenon: the 1890s saw an explosion of small-press poetry volumes marketed to aesthetes, many of which failed commercially. The joke is that experimental form cannot substitute for actual poetic merit.

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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHEAP MINOR POETS, In a well-known publisher's window near Ludgate- hill there appeared not long ago a row of books sur- rounded by the legend, “Minor Poets are Cheap To- ay. Great is the grief of Elkin Matthew, As Vigo-streetwards the news is spread; Tears, sufficient well-nigh to bathe you, Stream from the eyes of ‘The Bodley Head;”” Mr. Lane, with a courage failing, Counts his stock in a mournful way: Even the wind as it blows seems wailing, “Minor Poets are cheap to-day !”” Away on the slopes of Mount Parnassus (On the lower slope, you will understand) Bardlets, in velvet jacket, pass us, A limp, inert, and dejected band; Never a one his pipe is tuning, Never a one is blithe and gay, For all are the crushing chorus crooning, “* Minor poets are cheap to-day!" “And yet,” they moan, “in our volumes recent How very impassioned we oft have been, Some of our lines have been scarcely decent, Not a few have been quite obscene. Rough-edged paper, eccentric binding, Plus lubricity, ought to pay: Yet we now to our grief are finding ‘Minor Poets are cheap to-day !° “Vain have proved the critics resplendent We of each other's poems pen; What is the use of the gush transcendent Ladled out by Le Gallienne ? What's the use of de luxe editions And Beardsley’s pictures in such array ? Burst like bubbles are our ambitions— * Minor poets are cheap to-day !'" —London Truth, AGtRt from town is staying with some country cousins who live at afarm, On the night of her arrival she finds, to her mortification, that she is ignorant of all sorts of things connected with farm life which to her country cousins are matters of everyday knowledge. She fancies they seem amused at her ignorance. At breakfast the following morning she sees on the table a dish of fine honey, whereupon she thinks she has found an opportunity of retrieving her humiliating experience of the night before, and of showing ber country cousins that she knows something of country life after all. So, looking at the dish of honey, she says careless! “Ah, [see you keep a bee.”"—Pearson's Weekly. Domestic Sce 1gso—"* Say, pa,” inquired lit- tle Johnny Sprocket, ‘what is a pedestrian ?” ‘“A pedestrian?” repeated Mr. Sprockett, scratch- ing his head in a thoughtful manner, ‘ Pedestrian,” he mused, ‘Let me see! Oh, yes, of course. Why, that is what they used tocall people when they walked —Ohio State Journal. HERBERT S, STONE AND COMPANY iyllis in Bohemia. By L. H. Bickford (Rad Stillman Powell). For the Love of Tonita, and Other Tale Charles Fleming Embree. CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS: NEW YorK, This Country of Ours. By Benjamin Harzi Taken by Siege. By Jeannette M. Gilder. The Tormentor. By Benjamin Swift. FENNO AND COMPANY: NES When the World Was Younger. Braddon. The Dagger and the Cross. York, y Miss k By Joseph Hatto, DODD, MEAD AND COMPAN W YORK. In Kedar's Tents, By Henry Seton Merrinu. By a Hatr's Breadth, By Headon Hill. The Fall of the Sparrow. By M.C. Balfox, York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. WARNING. T has come to our knowledge that certain dita of Lire, having them framed, and selling thes af the pretense that they are the regul. drawings. The deception is so appare: cursory scrutiny will reveal it, Many innocent and unsuspecting persons may, iy ever, be fooled, and we therefore take this me:ta| impressing upon all the fact that the origioal printed proofs, on heavy paper, can be obtaise at the office of Lire and nowhere else. national News Company, Bream's Building, Chancery Lane, Londen, E. C., England, Aorsts. EUROPEAN AGEXTs—Messrs, Brentano, 37 Avente de l'Oper, Paris; Saartach's News Exchange, 1 Clarastrame, Mayeccn, Germany, agente for Germany, Austria and Switserinnd, IVORY SOAP “A cold bath is a good tonic and nerve bracer.” If Ivory Soap is used, it is a beautifier as well. Tne Procter & Gawace Co., Cnn, THE GENUINE JOHANN HOFF 'S — WALT EXTRACT MAKES FLESH AND BLOOD AVOID SUGSTITUTES CLOTHING ... Established 1944, | HENRY KEEN, Tailor, 114 High Holborn, London, W. C. RUINART. ‘Wanted n Ideas: ideas; they may. bri Wate gd wed EDBERURN @ GOs Patent att | Reyes Washington, D.G., for their 6130 Prize offer | and new List of one thousand inventions wanted, Who can think L. MILLER & SONS 543 Broadway NEW YORK, U, S.A. Boxes of Fifty Mailed Post-Paid Upon receipt of 5°