American Writers (one Hundred Pages At A Time)

Part three of my review of James Agee's film reviews get us through some more of THE NATION reviews, including his review of MONSIEUR VERDOUX, the Chaplin classic.

Another one of my favorite Lovecraft stories, "The Shunned House" is a study in local history and mythology. Some of his best writing legacy of family histories.

More of James Agee's reviews from THE NATION, mostly of films from 1944 and 1945.

Another dive into family history, occult traditions, and the sea in "The Festival" by H.P. Lovecraft, but maybe most interesting about this story is the exploration of Kingsport's antiquarian architectures.

In this episode I start my look at the works of James Agee. Before jumping into his collaboration with Walker Evans, let's check out his film writings. This episode covers the first year or so of his work with THE NATION.

Two episodes packed into one as I finish up looking at THE NEW INDUSTRIAL STATE by John Kenneth Galbraith. Next up James Agee's journalism and film reviews.

"The Rats in the Wall" is a story by H. P. Lovecraft about a trans-Atlantic family and its history (kind of like "The Lurking Fear" in a way). It also follows the method of archeology going deep into British history.

One of my favorite Lovecraft stories, "The Lurking Fear" explores heredity, immigration, American history, and race all in the form of an interesting mystery tale.

Part two of my review of THE NEW INDUSTRIAL STATE by John Kenneth Galbraith. Here he digs deep into the workings of the "technostructure" and makes an interesting contrast with planning in the socialist states of the time.

Another interesting story by H. P. Lovecraft, "The Hound" is about art and its impact on searchers who become grave-robbers to satisfy their curiosity.

The U.S. economy is planned. But don't take my word for it. John Kenneth Galbraith laid it all out in THE NEW INDUSTRIAL STATE. Here are my thoughts on the first 100 pages of that book.

The "Unnamable" is a great little horror story that includes a philosophical discussion about the nature of terror. A bit on the known unknowns of common knowledge and the limits of official narratives.

Part two of my review of THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY by John Kenneth Galbraith. This part of the book explores the consequences of affluence and present Galbraith's policy recommendations about how to restore a public sphere.

In this episode, I look at a story fragment ("Azathoth") and very short complete story ("What the Moon Brings"). Both are experiments in cosmic horror and the stories share similar themes.

Part one of my review of THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY by John Kenneth Galbraith. This book remains relevant in our conversations about post-scarcity and the lack of balance between public and private spending.

Part 2 of my review of Herbert West: Reanimator, covering parts 4-6.

Re-uploaded. Part one of my review and analysis of HERBERT WEST: REANIMATOR by H. P. Lovecraft. One of my favorite Lovecraft stories. Watch as I become convinced of a theory about the narrator over the course of my reading.

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?