Life, 1920-04-08 · page 39 of 44
Life — April 8, 1920 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **Left column:** An essay titled "I—Me" by I.S. Corn about his writing process and ambitions. Corn describes deciding to share his creative methods with readers, planning to write material, then revise and polish it. He reflects on his career writing fiction and scenarios, noting he'll focus on autobiographical material going forward because he knows himself best as a subject. **Right side:** An advertisement for Pantasote automobile tires, featuring a luxury car photographed at Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park. The ad emphasizes quality and durability with the tagline "Price high, quality higher, wearing power the highest—that's Genuine Pantasote." **Social context:** The juxtaposition is likely intentional satire—Corn's self-absorbed essay about making himself famous contrasts with the era's emphasis on product quality and tangible value. The advertisement represents practical consumer goods, while Corn's essay represents vanity and self-promotion, a common satirical tension in 1920s Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OF BRAINS 1. S. Corn HAVE slecided to take my millions f readers into my confidence. Ou yught 1 find my first state- wholly correct. 1 have ) into my confidence in the Tat the future Loam goings aber and further, giving them Tittle limpses of my in ac- asleep and awake, at . sick and wel and soon, Ay sitively and absolutely my millions of readers 2—will be immensely to write all the myself that come to me in ee = — oe, — 5 to put the stuff away and — Bridabeil Falls as it were. Possibly the | | ary. .f EET ce i ordinary writing. Then the day after, or maybe r that, Lam going to take ut and go over it, Here vill see where Tcan insert rds, They will not neces- ors that mean anything Jain any additional matter, he words Price high. quality Righer, Searing power the higheat started the game of heing HW | dd ¢ d an | had a foolish noti ; — that’s follow the beaten path. 1 } ter than to plot my. stuff, Genuine rs. put speech in their vid a few thousand as- f description. T wrote i Yop Material novels, war correspond: on. I made money ctures, and charged a fee ’ lege of hearing what J liad \| to gel the Best. A Friend in Need . TOUR own good taste, good judg- The Pantasate Company — Bosling Green Building, New Yok City ment. and knowledge of values fe reflecied in the purchases Miss Walton | make for you. She is Vthe shops —yvou may be far from you ean depend on her tention to every detail. Try her on that thing you have tu say. I got into the movies, and had Hereafter me for myseli—l for me, little pictures of myself hard at work and me for 1. The ladies will please on the scenario about to be unfolded remove their hats. and the gentlemen > for the amusement and pleasure of the may park their cigars with the chici | Reme ber the name—Virgini breathless audience. usher. Move a little closer, every Nalton, Scribner's Magazine, Fifth Chiefly 1 was writing about myself. body, because nothing will he held in Menue Section, 599 Fifth ‘Avenue, And why shouldn't 17 1 have been as- reserve. 1 can he funnier about my- ow York. There is no charge for ted with myseli since infancy. In self than about anybody else, and from fact, | am the first person I can re- now on T shall entertain you with the member. No more make-believe char- rersonal narrative of how I discovered acters for me. No more imagination myself and made me famous. and no more brain work on my part. Tom S, Elrod. comicbooks.com