American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

A short tale by H. P. Lovecraft, "Hypnos" involved an unreliable narrator exploring his dreams with an unknown associate. A nice contrast to some of the more optimistic dreamer stories.

So the second half of Galbraith's book called THE GREAT CRASH is about the impact of the 1929 crash on American life.
Overall a good survey of the causes of the crash itself, it not the best on the structural causes of the Depression.

A great short story by H. P. Lovecraft, "The Music of Erich Zann" is one of his first to take seriously the power of art and the tendency of art in the 20th century to move toward the bizarre. Is it a commentary on musical modernism? Or just a good horror tale?

The economist John Kenneth Galbraith wrote this very interesting book about a famous airplane disaster. Here are my thoughts on the first half of this book.

A short story by H. P. Lovecraft, "The Other Gods" explores humanity's hubris at thinking they can understand the universe. These Other Gods will be explored in more depth in THE DREAMQUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH.

Part two of my review of AMERICAN CAPITALISM by John Kenneth Galbraith. In the second half of this slim book we get into specific examples of counterveiling power through labor unions, cooperatives, government, and other forces.

"The Outsider" is a well-known tale by H. P. Lovecraft, probably due to its psychological dimension. One of his best works of short fiction, to be sure, even if not one of my favorites.

This episode begins a new series looking at the works of John Kenneth Galbraith. We begin with AMERICAN CAPITALISM, a book exploring the concept of "countervailing power" and how the size of firms undermines classical economics.

"The Moon-Bog" by Lovecraft may reminds us of "The Rats in the Wall' with its European setting and castle restoration subplot, but the story has its unique ideas, especially with the relationship between the workers and the castle owner, a relationship to water, and cultists of a sort.

"The Quest of Iranon" is a dreamlands story with (possibly) a dreamer from within the dreamlands themselves. It also works as a nice allegory for modernity, art, and celebrity.

No Lovecraft this Wednesday. Instead I will put an end to this Parkman series with the finale of MONTCALM AND WOLFE. Lots to perhaps say in summation about New France, the French and Indian Wars, and my insanity for doing this project. But, let's not.
Next up, John Kenneth Galbraith's still relevant writings.

Part 5 of my review of MONTCALM AND WOLFE by Francis Parkman. In this episode we explore the invasion of Canada and the emergence of Wolfe as a commander.

In "The Nameless City" we see Lovecraft sending an explorer into an ancient, pre-human city. While these themes would be explore in more depth in AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, this story remains a classic and not only because it introduces the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred.

In this fourth part of my review of MONTCALM AND WOLFE by Francis Parkman, we look at some major battled of the French and Indian War included the siege of Louisbourg (again), the rise of General Wolfe, and the setting for the invasion of Canada.

One of my favorite Lovecraft stories, "The Picture in the House" is about the sea, the horrors of Atlantic history, and the legacy of ancient beliefs and traditions.

Part three of my review of MONTCALM AND WOLFE by Francis Parkman. In this section we witness campaigning in the frontier and the Hudson Valley, the rise of Montcalm, and the beginning of a global war.

A story based on one of Lovecraft's dreams, "Nyarlathotep" provides some interesting ideas on modernity, the threat of ancient traditions, and race while also introducing us to one of his more memorable gods.

Two years before the Seven Years War broke out in Europe, Americans were once against fighting each other in the frontier regions between the British colonies and New France. These early losses for Britain are explored in this part of MONTCALM AND WOLFE by Francis Parkman.