Life, 1907-08-01 · page 15 of 48
Life — August 1, 1907 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes French literary productivity. The text argues that France's publication of only ~340 novels in 1906 (fewer than one per day) actually demonstrates *quality* over quantity—a backhanded compliment suggesting France maintains "literary primacy" despite lower output. The photograph titled "The Widow's Might" (caption unclear in context) appears to show ordinary people gathered outdoors, possibly illustrating the everyday French life that inspires such literature. The satire's point: Life magazine is mockingly praising France's restraint in publishing, implying that fewer, better novels trump the "swollen output of fiction" elsewhere (likely America). The joke assumes readers will recognize the irony—that claiming literary superiority while publishing fewer books is a peculiarly French contradiction worth ridiculing. The August decorative header suggests this is a monthly feature.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WIDOW'S MIGHT Happy France swollen output of fiction, in comparison, how shall we not "THAT only three hundred and forty novels should have admit that the Old World retains the literary primacy? been published in France during the year 1906, or fewer Frenchmen, at least y look forward confidently to a rather than a novel a day, counting Sundays, as one properly may in near future when all their novels, and not so very secular a country, this is altogether a sign of happy’ three hundre:! and forty, shall be of such a augury, provided one bears in mind that the best novels do acter that none will be publist not get themselves published, under modern conditions, but author’s expense; but whe! are invariably declined. When we reflect upon our own ing us? PQ eS SS AUGUST ely all but verlative char d, unless, perhaps, at the is there any such future await- comicbooks.com