Life, 1917-08-23 · page 17 of 40
Life — August 23, 1917 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## The Cartoons The three sketch panels labeled "Inspiration," "Intoxication," and "Realization" satirize the "Ungrammatical Story" literary trend. They depict a writer's creative process: initial inspiration (seated, thinking), intoxication (floating mid-air, overwhelmed), and final realization (slumped, confronting his work). The visual joke shows how this trendy writing style produces chaos rather than art. ## The Editorial Content The article criticizes editors who've popularized deliberately ungrammatical fiction—dropping g's, using "dame" and "guy" instead of proper terms. The author argues this vulgar affectation, meant to portray "Rough Diamond" characters authentically, actually libels human nature and reflects American provincialism. Real art, the piece insists, never sacrifices grammatical or aesthetic standards. ## "What We Stand For" This brief section contrasts Senator Stone's (Missouri) public statements about future peace with Germany against the irony of imagining him holding similar pro-British views in Berlin—satirizing inconsistent diplomatic positioning.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIVE: INSPIRATION Grammar and Art VE of our most successful editors, who sets many of the leading literary fashions, has recently discovered and promoted the Ungrammatical Story, with the result that no successful magazine is now complete wi hout one. The recipe for such a story is very simple. The author ely drops his final “g’s,” intersperses _plenteous Sain'ts,” says “guy” for man and “dame” for woman— and the story goes of its own accord. The vague idea behind this latest fad is that it sets forth the character of the Rough Diamond, Asa matter of fact, it is employed to cover the cheapest kind of cheap banalit It is vulgar because it presents human nature in a false light. It would be possible only in a country which had attained a tremendous provincialism. Art is not necessarily grammatical any more than it is necessarily clothed. But art never libels human nature; INTOXICATION and it never violates the beauty of its medium. The Un- grammatical Story, as it is presented in our magazines, does both What We Stand for Senator Stone, of Missouri, Chairman of the Com- on Foreign Relations, announced in the Set mitt to-day that som the possibil oop! But imagine the Hon, Stone, as a pro-British talker, occupying a similar position in Berlin! ITY BOY: But is it not a bit lonesome here? Country Boy: Oh, not at all! Why, only yesterday T was almost run over by fe day next week he would talk v y of a near-future peace with Germany. 297 REALIZATION —New York Times, n automobile with six people in it!