Life, 1917-10-25 · page 28 of 44
Life — October 25, 1917 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page mocks early 20th-century American literary and publishing culture. The main article, "Too Much for Him," describes authors attempting to sell their work like vegetables at a market, each hawking their wares with dubious claims: sensationalist "sex interest" from Hearst magazines, wartime commentary presented as expertise, and experimental "free verse" poetry that amounts to "new noises." The joke centers on a distinguished-looking stranger who faints upon witnessing this spectacle—revealed to be a classical literary figure appalled by modern writing standards. The satire targets what Life's editors saw as the degradation of serious literature into commercial product, replaced by sensationalism, pseudo-intellectualism, and noise masquerading as art. The surrounding ads are fake, mocking Prohibition-era cocktails, dubious cameras, and swimming schools—part of the same critique of American marketing excess.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Advertisements You Have Never Seen Adhlly Drink ! Tre PROMIBITION’ sae COCKTAIL, Too Much for Him AID the literary men: “If there are public markets for vegetables, why not also for our wares?” So saying, they started a market of their own. Every author had his own stall, from which he de- livered his exordium leading up to the sale of his wares. One of them said: “Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a ribald tale of intense human excite- ment, the mere fact that it has been running in a Hearst magazine for months being proof that it has a suf- ficient sex interest to attract the most callous. Just the thing for innocent boys and girls.” And another: “Read my opinion of the war and just when it will end. I have passed several weeks in reading the opinions of the war experts, and what I know about the war is therefore as good as any man’s guess. Remember, it isn’t what you learn about the war that counts, but the total number of books you read.” Several free versifiers had combined, and with timbrels and Klaxons made a loud bid for their products. “We may not write real poetry,” they declared, “but at least we have perfected several new noises, and new “GelsNow Tht Ou Gorse Be Remodeled By Madame Bun le- Then come to the Davy JONES SWIMMING SCHOOL and drown under our ~ noises are what you, the great public, want. Buy! Buy! Buy!” The crowds gathered moderately, and a fair business was being done, when the form of a tall, distinguished- looking stranger was seen stopping from stall to stall, His face was quite COMES OF AGE. pale, and as he went along it was quite evident that he was becoming deeply affected. Suddenly he was seen to stagger, and before kind hands could reach him he had fallen to the ground in a dead faint. They carried him away. Then it was that the idle spec- tator who had just reached the scene turned to another and said: “Who was that?” The other smiled. “T happen to know,” he replied, “ be- cause I once took a course in the classics, and I met him years ago, That is the spirit of real literature.” Bernstorff Base servant of a baser king, Eternal hatred be your lot! Revolting is the viper’s sting, Nor less revolting was your plot! So seeds were sown, and by your hand, To turn this land against itself! Oh, little could you understand Respect for other things than pelf! Fool! Honor is not bought and sold For murders with bloodstainéd gold! Harold Seton. Domestic Finance NICKER: We shall prosper be- cause all the war money will be spent in this country. . Bocker: Humph! You don’t get rich playing poker with your wife. comicbooks fear