This is a real gem, thank you! Lewis wrote several great novels about the American condition in the early 1900’s. “Babbitt” was assigned reading in high school, and I’ve been hooked since.
I first read "Babbitt" as a teen. I was really into the "Lord of the Rings" books so read a biography of J.R.R. Tolkein. It said he loved the writing of Lewis and was reading "Babbitt" when he first came up with the idea for "The Hobbit". The whole idea of a middle aged man forced out of his comfortable existence appealed to him!
@@eugeneodonnell4680 His novel Babbitt was a definitive satire of US Midwest small town business mutual "boosterism" among middleclass business men; it begat a new American term, "babbitry." Too do read Elmer Gantry; and see the fantastic early 1950s film starring Burt Lancaster as the title character, Jean Simmons as an evangelical tent preacheress, Shirley Jones as a girl E.G. dumped, who resurges to reseduce and blackmail him, and the great Edward Andrews as (here, a) minor character George Babbitt.
Main Street is one of my lifetime favorite novels and sociological commentaries. I have read it at least five times in the past sixty years. This brilliant look at American provincialism should be read by everyone.
I just watched a movie you suggested months ago called Metropolis. It was absolutely excellent. Fritz Lang was a genius. The entire thing kept me captivated from the beginning to the end. After Nosferatu it is probably going to be my second favorite silent movie of all times. It was so good I'm going to watch it again. Fantastic suggestion!
Wow! This was a very well-crafted review. Thank you for creating it. I agree that Lewis should be more well-known to readers today. The themes in his work are once again current in today's world. Someone said once that Lewis is the Dickens of the early 20th century in America. At first, I thought that statement was odd, but then I came around to kind of agree with it on some level. I'm going to re-read Main Street after hearing this review. One that is also fascinating, but a later work, is Kingsblood Royal. A pre-Civil Rights novel about a man who's white who discovers he's got black blood in his family tree and how he's treated afterward by friends, family, and the town.
Thank you for this synopsis - really helpful refresher. I hadn't heard of SL until reading an article and buying Main Street and Babbitt. Blown away by Main Srreet and looking forward to reading Babitt - absorbing writing. I'm in tbe UK but was surprised to find that such a writer has drifted into relative obscurity in the US. I feel t would make a wonderful film - look forward to your video on that topic.
Don't miss Dodsworth, made into a film starring Walter Huston. A uniquely great life-lesson quote from it is Sam Dodsworth's final epiphany after his flirtatious, social-butterfly trophy wife has too often cheated on him, "love's got to stop somewhere short of suicide." Then he marries a less flashy, less high-maintenance woman who really loves him, with whom he is spiritually and emotionally sympatico.
Man, the dynamics this book encapsulates has been going for a long time. There are still many people who feel the way Lewis did when he wrote this book. The same can be said about the other side of that argument. I don't know what could reconcile the differences.
One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I'm very mixed about small towns, however, they offer some real advantages in the early 21st century. The irony is that as cities today get more crowded, expensive, dirty, lack any sense of community and are full of the homeless an increasing amount of Americans are looking at smaller communities myself included. As much as i admire Lewis and his books there is no doubt that "Main Street" is a real attack on small towns, reinforces stereotypes, seems to focus on the negatives and is rather one-sided.
I grew up in a small town in Iowa, and some of Lewis's observations are valid, I'd say. It was a bit more connected and sophisticated in the 60s. But lots of small town people are certainly big on making your business theirs. There is certainly lots of small minded behavior.
Enjoyed this synopsis. Lewis sure painted small towns poorly. First I've had of any of his works so wiki'd him to see what he was about. Seems Carrol's experiences are remarkably similar to his own except in reverse. He was a small village boy (son of a doctor), who went to the 'Big' city to find himself but never did (didn't like city people or the big city culture) even though he made lot-sa $s, so took to serious drinking to find happiness before dying of alcoholism in Rome, age 65 with 2 failed marriages behind him highlighting what he knew of human nature.
I'm sorry to ask and I know it takes a long time to research this kinda stuff, but can you do more 1920s gangster stuff and all about them please and thank you😄
I love Sinclair Lewis he paints so well the eternal fight between idealism bathed in culture and practicality loaded with empiricism. Profit versus socialism. Still the debate in America today laced with potent ideologies cracking fires on inequality and growth for only 1%.
It is a universal law of nature everywhere on Earth: the countryside is conservative, the cities are liberal. The German "Junker" (pronounced "you-ker") farmers hated Berlin, the French Farmers hated Paris Kansas farmers hate New York City Chinese farmers hate Beijing and the cities have condensending contempt for the countryside "yokels". Its true everywhere except maybe in Theocracies like Iran, but I am sure it is the same there but less obvious.
Interesting insight, seems true. But your pronunciation of the German word for landed nobleman "Junker" (pronounced YOONG-kehr," a derivative of "Junge Herr," young nobleman) erroneously omits the "ngk" consonant sound.
I once read a book written by a Japanese Samurai about 300 to 350 fifty years ago. He; and his clan, were from one of the more outlying areas, far from the capitol of Edo. In one section of the book he tells his readers; probably thinking they would be other samurai from his province, to always remember where they come from and not falsely take up the mannerisms and speech patterns of the people of Edo. Even in such a different time and culture you could tell there was a tension between the "big city" and the countryside.
@@JudgeJulieLit You are absolutely right about the pronunciation of "Junker". I knew it too but for some reason I brain farted and forgot to spell it "yungker" for the example.
And in ancient Greece, Aesop wrote a fable contrasting the universally archetypal City Mouse versus Country Mouse temperament and personalities. In the 19th century the Swiss novel heroine Heidi was (by contrast to her friend Klara Hessemann) a country (specifically, mountain) "mouse."
@@arrow1414 Ja, German pronunciation for "Junker" (an elision from "Junge Herr") keeps the "ng" sound. Your slight mispronunciation cue, eine kleine Abfahrt, wenn du willst.
Great post, I love your channel. I mwould like to ask you to do a video on HL Mencken I would suggest you do it on th "hatrack case" which involved a short story that was written by George Ashbury (of Gangs of New York fame) that was published i n the American Mercury that caused a stir because it involved the story of a prostitute
hello i am sorry to bother you but i have been following your channel for a long time and i really think what you are telling is interesting but i have a question that i have been asking myself for some times now. What music and what kind of music did the people of the start of the twentieth century listen. I hope I will have an answer and I wish you a good day (or night i don't know anymore) and good luck for the rest.
There were a few different kinds of popular recorded music at the turn of the century. I mostly know about recorded music in the US, so I'll focus on that. Classical music was still many people's go-to for music then, but it didn't record well. Opera was a bit better, partly because arias and solo parts could often be short enough for the few-minute limit on cylinders (and later, records). Maybe the most famous recorded singer (at least in the US) in the earlier years of the 20th century was Enrico Caruso. Even some of the pop singers of that time sang in an operatic style. Quartet groups also had a good bit of success in the 1900s and 1910s, the most famous ones included the Peerless Quartet, the American Quartet, and the Haydn Quartet. Novelty records were prolific early on with cylinders, notably Billy Murray (who also sang tenor in the American Quartet). And ragtime (most famous on piano) was also fairly popular, though not recorded much. It became more popular through piano rolls and sheet music. I still often listen to songs from that time, especially the vocal quartets, so there are some pretty good recordings, though the quality of the actual recording can be a difficult obstacle to overcome in the modern age. This wasn't completely comprehensive, but I hope it helps!
This is a real gem, thank you! Lewis wrote several great novels about the American condition in the early 1900’s. “Babbitt” was assigned reading in high school, and I’ve been hooked since.
I first read "Babbitt" as a teen. I was really into the "Lord of the Rings" books so read a biography of J.R.R. Tolkein. It said he loved the writing of Lewis and was reading "Babbitt" when he first came up with the idea for "The Hobbit". The whole idea of a middle aged man forced out of his comfortable existence appealed to him!
@@eugeneodonnell4680 His novel Babbitt was a definitive satire of US Midwest small town business mutual "boosterism" among middleclass business men; it begat a new American term, "babbitry." Too do read Elmer Gantry; and see the fantastic early 1950s film starring Burt Lancaster as the title character, Jean Simmons as an evangelical tent preacheress, Shirley Jones as a girl E.G. dumped, who resurges to reseduce and blackmail him, and the great Edward Andrews as (here, a) minor character George Babbitt.
Main Street is one of my lifetime favorite novels and sociological commentaries. I have read it at least five times in the past sixty years. This brilliant look at American provincialism should be read by everyone.
I just watched a movie you suggested months ago called Metropolis. It was absolutely excellent. Fritz Lang was a genius. The entire thing kept me captivated from the beginning to the end. After Nosferatu it is probably going to be my second favorite silent movie of all times. It was so good I'm going to watch it again. Fantastic suggestion!
Check out The Godfather. It’s also a famous movie.
Wow! This was a very well-crafted review. Thank you for creating it. I agree that Lewis should be more well-known to readers today. The themes in his work are once again current in today's world. Someone said once that Lewis is the Dickens of the early 20th century in America. At first, I thought that statement was odd, but then I came around to kind of agree with it on some level. I'm going to re-read Main Street after hearing this review. One that is also fascinating, but a later work, is Kingsblood Royal. A pre-Civil Rights novel about a man who's white who discovers he's got black blood in his family tree and how he's treated afterward by friends, family, and the town.
Thank you for this synopsis - really helpful refresher. I hadn't heard of SL until reading an article and buying Main Street and Babbitt. Blown away by Main Srreet and looking forward to reading Babitt - absorbing writing. I'm in tbe UK but was surprised to find that such a writer has drifted into relative obscurity in the US. I feel t would make a wonderful film - look forward to your video on that topic.
Thank you for your analysis and review! It kept my attention the entire time.
Cass Timberlane. ❤️
Found this one on a bottom shelf in a remedial reading classroom when I was in high school. Have loved Sinclair Lewis ever since!
Don't miss Dodsworth, made into a film starring Walter Huston. A uniquely great life-lesson quote from it is Sam Dodsworth's final epiphany after his flirtatious, social-butterfly trophy wife has too often cheated on him, "love's got to stop somewhere short of suicide." Then he marries a less flashy, less high-maintenance woman who really loves him, with whom he is spiritually and emotionally sympatico.
Man, the dynamics this book encapsulates has been going for a long time. There are still many people who feel the way Lewis did when he wrote this book. The same can be said about the other side of that argument. I don't know what could reconcile the differences.
It’s interesting to compare and contrast to Garrison Keeler’s “Lake Wobegone”
One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I'm very mixed about small towns, however, they offer some real advantages in the early 21st century. The irony is that as cities today get more crowded, expensive, dirty, lack any sense of community and are full of the homeless an increasing amount of Americans are looking at smaller communities myself included. As much as i admire Lewis and his books there is no doubt that "Main Street" is a real attack on small towns, reinforces stereotypes, seems to focus on the negatives and is rather one-sided.
You made me emotional good summary 👍
Thanks you so much for this one. Great work.
I grew up in a small town in Iowa, and some of Lewis's observations are valid, I'd say. It was a bit more connected and sophisticated in the 60s. But lots of small town people are certainly big on making your business theirs. There is certainly lots of small minded behavior.
Enjoyed this synopsis. Lewis sure painted small towns poorly. First I've had of any of his works so wiki'd him to see what he was about. Seems Carrol's experiences are remarkably similar to his own except in reverse. He was a small village boy (son of a doctor), who went to the 'Big' city to find himself but never did (didn't like city people or the big city culture) even though he made lot-sa $s, so took to serious drinking to find happiness before dying of alcoholism in Rome, age 65 with 2 failed marriages behind him highlighting what he knew of human nature.
Jack London bought story ideas from Lewis too.
I'm sorry to ask and I know it takes a long time to research this kinda stuff, but can you do more 1920s gangster stuff and all about them please and thank you😄
Amazing channel
I love Sinclair Lewis he paints so well the eternal fight between idealism bathed in culture and practicality loaded with empiricism. Profit versus socialism. Still the debate in America today laced with potent ideologies cracking fires on inequality and growth for only 1%.
I love his writing’s especially Dodsworth which is also a great film made in the 30,s .
My mother in law is from a small town in Minnesota. There is a lot to her story and it makes me want to read this book. 😉
It is a universal law of nature everywhere on Earth: the countryside is conservative, the cities are liberal. The German "Junker" (pronounced "you-ker") farmers hated Berlin, the French Farmers hated Paris Kansas farmers hate New York City Chinese farmers hate Beijing and the cities have condensending contempt for the countryside "yokels". Its true everywhere except maybe in Theocracies like Iran, but I am sure it is the same there but less obvious.
Interesting insight, seems true. But your pronunciation of the German word for landed nobleman "Junker" (pronounced YOONG-kehr," a derivative of "Junge Herr," young nobleman) erroneously omits the "ngk" consonant sound.
I once read a book written by a Japanese Samurai about 300 to 350 fifty years ago. He; and his clan, were from one of the more outlying areas, far from the capitol of Edo. In one section of the book he tells his readers; probably thinking they would be other samurai from his province, to always remember where they come from and not falsely take up the mannerisms and speech patterns of the people of Edo. Even in such a different time and culture you could tell there was a tension between the "big city" and the countryside.
@@JudgeJulieLit
You are absolutely right about the pronunciation of "Junker". I knew it too but for some reason I brain farted and forgot to spell it "yungker" for the example.
And in ancient Greece, Aesop wrote a fable contrasting the universally archetypal City Mouse versus Country Mouse temperament and personalities. In the 19th century the Swiss novel heroine Heidi was (by contrast to her friend Klara Hessemann) a country (specifically, mountain) "mouse."
@@arrow1414 Ja, German pronunciation for "Junker" (an elision from "Junge Herr") keeps the "ng" sound. Your slight mispronunciation cue, eine kleine Abfahrt, wenn du willst.
I loved the Ed Asner audiobook of Lewis work
Great post, I love your channel. I mwould like to ask you to do a video on HL Mencken I would suggest you do it on th "hatrack case" which involved a short story that was written by George Ashbury (of Gangs of New York fame) that was published i n the American Mercury that caused a stir because it involved the story of a prostitute
hello i am sorry to bother you but i have been following your channel for a long time and i really think what you are telling is interesting but i have a question that i have been asking myself for some times now.
What music and what kind of music did the people of the start of the twentieth century listen.
I hope I will have an answer and I wish you a good day (or night i don't know anymore) and good luck for the rest.
There were a few different kinds of popular recorded music at the turn of the century. I mostly know about recorded music in the US, so I'll focus on that. Classical music was still many people's go-to for music then, but it didn't record well. Opera was a bit better, partly because arias and solo parts could often be short enough for the few-minute limit on cylinders (and later, records). Maybe the most famous recorded singer (at least in the US) in the earlier years of the 20th century was Enrico Caruso. Even some of the pop singers of that time sang in an operatic style. Quartet groups also had a good bit of success in the 1900s and 1910s, the most famous ones included the Peerless Quartet, the American Quartet, and the Haydn Quartet. Novelty records were prolific early on with cylinders, notably Billy Murray (who also sang tenor in the American Quartet). And ragtime (most famous on piano) was also fairly popular, though not recorded much. It became more popular through piano rolls and sheet music. I still often listen to songs from that time, especially the vocal quartets, so there are some pretty good recordings, though the quality of the actual recording can be a difficult obstacle to overcome in the modern age. This wasn't completely comprehensive, but I hope it helps!
@@The1920sChannel it reallly helps and thank you for taking the time to answer to me
Interesting story
WELL DONE VIDEO!
Nice job!
You should do a video on the top luxury cars of the 1920s year by year.
I'm a bit partial to Dodsworth, though the rest are classic.
A lot of this sounds like Trumpies and Randites long before their actual appearance.
U ARE NOT GOING UNHEARD OR APPRECIATED!!
Started out good, but then lots of complaining in this novel, and then nothing much else...
That’s a doozy
Thanks for the read. Seems to me that the more things change the more they stay the same.