American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 17: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (2)

A solid second chapter of H. P. Lovecraft's THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD almost works as a stand-alone horror story set in the 18th century, climaxing in the context of the American Revolution. Through this story we see Joseph Curwen as a metaphor for America's founding sins.

Episode 444:Henry James: Watch and Ward (2)

More forgettable stuff in the second half of WATCH AND WARD by Henry James. Let's hope his later novels are a bit more interesting. If nothing else, this novel is a good piece of evidence of why certain authors will never be cancelled.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 16: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1)

The second of two posthumously published novels by H. P. Lovecraft, THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD also happens to be my favorite Lovecraft story. There is no better place to go for Lovecraft's historical vision.

Episode 443: HenryJames: Watch and Ward (1)

A new series and a new novel: Henry James' WATCH AND WARD. While it is not a good novel and can be easily forgotten we can at least introduce ourselves to Henry James as we prepare to read his first five novels.

Episode 442: Sinclair Lewis: Dodsworth (3)

The final to my review of DODSWORTH by Sinclair Lewis and the final of my series on Lewis's mid-1920s works. While DODSWORTH is not my favorite, I think it has some interesting things to say about marriage, aging, and the habits of the elite.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 15: The History of the Necronomicon, Ibid., and The Descendents

A trio of works by Lovecraft are examined in this episode. Two of them explore the mythology of the Necronomicon and the other deals with footnotes.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club:Series 5: Episode 14: Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (Conclusion)

My final thoughts on Lovecraft's DREAM-QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH appear in this episode. In this part of the story we see the battle between the Men from Leng and their Moon creatures allies and Carter's forces before arriving at the final confrontation between the Dreamer and the Outer Gods.

Episode 441: Sinclair Lewis: Dodsworth (2)

Part two of my review of DODSWORTH by Sinclair Lewis has us explore a wealthy expat couple in Europe as their marriage begins to fray as the European setting exposes their different dreams. Mr. Dodsworth return to America in these chapters is a nice diversion.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 13: Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (3)

In the third part of my review of DREAMQUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH we explore the realm of the ghouls and other dark places, while learning more about the Men from Leng.

Episode 440: Sinclair Lewis: Dodsworth (1)

Part one of my review of DODSWORTH by Sinclair Lewis. My least favorite of these novels by Lewis, it centers on a rich American business man who retires to Europe with a restless wife.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 12: Dream-quest of Unknown Kadath (2)

Part two of my review of DREAM-QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH by Lovecraft. My interest in this series of episodes is to explore how the themes of Lovecraft's horror novels are revealed in the 'dreamlands' stories. As it turns out there is more than I thought.

Episode 439: Sinclair Lewis: Elmer Gantry (4)

The four and final part of my review of ELMER GANTRY by Sinclair Lewis. A final crisis emerging from his girl-crazy ways, leads Elmer Gantry to triumph and a bright future. But what does that say about our institutions?

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 11: Dream-quest of Unknown Kadath, Part 1

Episode 438: Sinclair Lewis:: Elmer Gantry (3)

Part three of my review of ELMER GANTRY by Sinclair Lewis covers Gantry's rise in the aftermath of the death of Sharon Falconer. He finds himself recruited by Methodists and has no problem making the transition.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 10: Pickman's Model

A favorite of Lovecraft fans, "Pickman's Model", ties directly to DREAM-QUEST and was written around time, but is a great tale in which we see Lovecraft trying new narrative techniques. And in good Lovecraft fashion we get a look at the underground architecture of decaying city.

 

 

Episode 437: Sinclair Lewis: Elmer Gantry (2)

In part two of my review of ELMER GANTRY by Sinclair Lewis we follow Gantry as he got pushed out of his ministry due to drunkenness, but finds his way back into evangelical Christianity through the popularity of revival-style worship.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 9: Strange High House in the Mist

My review of Lovecraft's "Strange High House in the Mist" allows us to return to Kingsport in preparation for our upcoming "Dream Quest".

Episode 436:Sinclair Lewis: Elmer Gantry (1)

Elmer Gantry is a student at a religious university who far from lives the religious life, but find himself on the career path of a Baptist preacher. Sinclair Lewis' novel ELMER GANTRY is a great look at the culture wars of the 1920s.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 8: The Silver Key

The "Silver Key" is Lovecraft's greatest Randolph Carter story with an enduring theme of childhood saving us from the banality of modern life. Carter's quest for meaning, set years after the events of DREAMQUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH has lessons for the importance of childhood.

Episode 435:Sinclair Lewis: Arrowsmith (Part 5)

The final of my review of ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis. It ends on a rather high note where science triumphs over the distractions of American capitalism.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 7: The Call of Cthulhu (2)

In the second half of my review of THE CALL OF CTHULHU I explore some of the most important passages in all of Lovecraft's writings: the interview with the cultist Castro. The cost of wordily freedom maybe high, but for many marginalized people it is worth paying.

Episode 434: Sinclair Lewis: Arrowsmith (4)

Part four of ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis explores Martin Arrowsmith's career as it moves into hard science, war, and eventually a devastating plague in the West Indies. As always the contradictions between science and politics follows him.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 6: The Call of Cthulhu, Part 1

The first of two episodes in which I look at the famous story by H. P. Lovecraft, THE CALL OF CTHULHU. Great story due to its nested narrative and global scope.

Episode 433: Sinclair Lewis: Arrowsmith (3)

Martin Arrowsmith, bored with being a small-town doctor moves into the field of public health, finding the politics of science even worse than the personal politics of private practice. I look at this as well as other things in this part of my review of ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode5: In the Vault

"In the Vault" seems a bit out of place in this period of Lovecraft's career, but it is a bit of fun and plesantly gory. The TV show TALES FROM THE CRYPT did a episode seemingly inspired by this tale called "Fitting Punishment".

Episode 432: Sinclair Lewis: Arrowsmith (2)

Part two of my review of ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis. In this episode we follow Martin Arrowsmith as he begins his career as a small-town doctor.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 4: Cool Air

"Cool Air" by H. P. Lovecraft is a lovely science-fiction horror story set in New York, the last of Lovecraft's stories set in New York after "Red Hook" and "He".

Episode 431:Sinclair Lewis: Arrowsmith (1)

Part one of my five-part review of ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis. This novel explores the culture of professional medicine in early 20th century America through the life of a young doctor torn by different perspectives on the proper role of the doctor.

H.P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 3: HE

In this episode, I examine Lovecraft's short story "He", the second in a "trilogy" of New York stories. This one is the most meta and personal and certainly, the most cosmic.

Episode 430: Aldo Leopold: Journals.

In this short episode, I finish my look at Aldo Leopold's writings with his journals. I know I said I would look at his letters, but I decided to move on to my next series, starting with ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 2: The Horror at Red Hook (2)

Part two of my review of THE HORROR AT RED HOOK by H. P. Lovecraft. Ignoring this story due to his racism, compartmentalizing his views on immigrants, or saying Lovecraft was just a man of his time will not due...and this story shows why.

Episode 429: Aldo Leopold: Writings 1938-1948

The third and final episode looking at Aldo Leopold's professional and private ecology writings. These cover the period of the Second World War and Leopold's growing awareness of the depth of the crisis in ecology.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 5: Episode 1: The Horror At Red Hook (Part 1)

The first half of my review of THE HORROR AT RED HOOK, by H. P. Lovecraft. This is a story that pulls together most of the threads from his earliest horror writings. Despite its nasty language about immigrants, it is essential reading for those interested in his philosophy.

Episode 438: Aldo Leopold: Writings 1933-1937

A look at some more of Aldo Leopold's professional and private writings on ecology from the period when he began his work in Wisconsin, coinciding with the Great Depression and New Deal programs on conservation.

Episode 427: Aldo Leopold: Writings 1917-1933

Having finished A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC, we will now go back to look at Aldo Leopold's writings from the start of his career in 1917 until 1933, when he published a book on game management.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 4: Episode 12: Poems, Later 1920s

In this episode of the H. P. Lovecraft Book Club I look at a bunch of horror poems Lovecraft wrote in the later 1920s.

Episode 426: Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac (Part 2)

This episode completes my review of A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC by Aldo Leopold. The second part of the book of essays explores the human impact on ecology and proposes a solution, the Land Ethic.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 4: Episode 11: Supernatural Horror in Literature (2)

The second part of my review of "Supernatural Horror in Literature" looks at the bulk of the text. Most of the essay is surveys of the major works in different periods and regions. SHIL will remain a useful guide for readers of 18th, 19th, and early 20th century horror.

H. P. Lovecraft Book Club: Series 4: Episode 10: Supernatural Horror in Literature

In this episode of the H. P. Lovecraft Book Club I examine "Supernatural Horror in Literature", Lovecraft's brilliant survey of horror writing. I focus on his overall philosophy as detailed in the first chapter of this book-length essay.

Episode 425: Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac, Part 1

Episode one of my new series on the writings of Aldo Leopold. To begin we will explore his masterpiece A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC. It remains one of the greatest works of American ecology. In later episodes, we will look at his professional writings and journals.