Life — February 26, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains a satirical dialogue and illustration. At the top, **Mrs. Wood B. Highbrow** and **Mrs. Hennasow** discuss the Brownings' Love Letters, with the latter noting how the poets "fluttered each other." A **Young Doctor** is asked his greatest wish now that he's earned his degree—he replies he wants to put "Dr." before his name and after others' names (meaning he wants prestige and to be addressed formally). The main illustration, titled "In Southern Waters," depicts people in a boat during what appears to be rough conditions, accompanying a Tennyson quote about uttering one's innermost thoughts. The page satirizes social pretension, academic aspiration, and romantic sentimentality—typical *Life* magazine targets of gentle mockery for the educated American audience of this era.