Life, 1920-12-09 · page 14 of 44
Life — December 9, 1920 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on British novelist Arnold Bennett and his literary reputation. The top illustration shows a domestic scene where a woman asks her husband if they'll quarrel after marriage; he dismissively says certainly not, implying she'd be at fault if they did. Below, the article mocks Bennett's recent positive review, which claimed his work places him among "first-class English writers." The satire suggests this assessment is inflated—the reviewer compares Bennett favorably to Shakespeare, Milton, and Dickens, which the Life writer finds absurdly generous. The accompanying cartoon titled "A Man of Rare Gifts" appears to illustrate Bennett receiving undeserved praise. The page ridicules both Bennett's pretensions and the critical establishment's tendency toward excessive flattery.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
She: vo yOU THINK, DEAR, WE WILL EVER QUARREL APTER WE ARE MARRIED? CERTAINLY NOT. She (thoughtfully) : British Novelists, Ltd. R. ARNOLD BENN [ is one of the most industrious partners in the syndicate known as British Novelists, Limited. His annual output is at least as large as that of any of his associates in the company—in fact, he is rather more likely to work overtime than Mr. Cannan, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Walpole, Mr. George or Mr. Wells. There a lively demand for his wares in the fiction market, and there are takers for all that he offers. In fact, there are rumors that speculators are organizing a boom in Arnold Bennett stock. This is to be deplored, as a boom is likely always to be followed by a slump. One of the boomsters has recently written a review of Mr. Bennett's latest book; and in the course of this we are informed that the publication of one of Mr. Bennett's novels placed the author “incontestably in the front rank of the first-class English writers of all time.” If we may go so far—Gosh all If this boomster is justified, we have with us to-night the equal of ns and Thackeray, Haw- thorne and Mark Twain. And we didn’t 1 CAN'T IMAGINE YOU EVER DOING ANYTHING TO PROVOKE ME, 1 SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE YOUR FAULT, know it—we didn’t even suspect it; and what's more, we doubt if the author him- self suspected it. When Victor Hugo published his book on Shakespeare he authorized a blurb to the effect that “ the English poet had at last been weighed and measured by the French poet.” That's all; no doubt ever crossed the French poet's mind that he was at least the equal of the English poct. But there is no reason to suppose that the British novel- ist shares the self-esteem of the French poet. Probably if he happens to see the American review he will remark, “Sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a dern-fool friend.” BLM. Give Helen Time HRISTIAN SCIENCE INFANT (aged five): Mamma, when Helen falls down and bumps her head, why doesn’t she say, “The Divine Mine governs all?” comicbooks.com