H. L. Mencken

Karen Leick (Ohio State University)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

H. L. Mencken was the most well-known and influential American literary and cultural critic of the 1920s. Mencken deliberately printed controversial and even outrageous views and reviews in an effort to encourage readers to think critically about American art and life. He was never afraid to print what he believed, and his honesty, sarcasm, humor and passion attracted young readers in particular. Mencken’s great influence was frequently acknowledged throughout the decade; for example, in Hemingway’s

The Sun Also Rises

(1926), Jake Barnes thinks: “I wondered where Cohn got that incapacity to enjoy Paris. Possibly from Mencken. Mencken hates Paris, I believe. So many young men get their likes and dislikes from Mencken”.

Although Mencken was known as an iconoclast and rebel, his

1348 words

Citation: Leick, Karen. "H. L. Mencken". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 July 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3079, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3079 H. L. Mencken 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.