Life — January 11, 1929 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Influence of the English Novel" by George Cecil Cawing This satirical short story mocks the pretensions of upper-middle-class British society, specifically how people adopt affected mannerisms and concerns from reading novels. The narrative follows characters obsessed with appearing cultured—they reference the "Rotary Club," discuss trendy cinema, worry about rose gardens, and fret over servants and beggars. The satire targets how English novel-reading has made these characters overly dramatic, snobbish, and ridiculous in their everyday interactions. References to "Margaret La Roquefort" and concerns about whether to allow servants walks poke fun at both literary affectation and class anxiety. The illustrations show the characters in their drawing rooms, embodying the pretension the text mocks.