I think this may be the exact book I ordered online and now have (the patterns of vertical marks are exactly the same). There were not many copies of this available.
The IWE book list loves the American theater of the 1920s and 30s. Happily I do too, which is another indicator of the strong compatibility this list has with my personal taste. Curiously the list has no evident interest in the postwar American theater, neither Tennessee Williams nor Arthur Miller nor any other figure that I can think of from that now more seriously regarded era having been included in it.
Philip Barry to my mind has fallen into obscurity, certainly as any kind of literary figure, but he was a major player in the Broadway world during the Depression years, despite (or perhaps due to, as it were) specializing in the genre of the drawing room comedy, The Animal Kingdom is the only one of his plays to make the reading list, though today it would likely be his third most recognizable title, if it were recognized at all, behind The Philadelphia Story and Holiday, the fame of these obviously being due to the classic films made of them starring Katharine Hepburn (who was a good friend of Barry's) and Cary Grant. The Animal Kingdom was also made into a film starring Leslie Howard, who had played the lead role on the stage and was also a good pal of Barry's. I think this film is supposed to be pretty good too but it is not remembered as the other two are.
In a departure from my usual routine I read most of this play on the beach when I was on vacation in Florida. It was, as popular plays from this time tend to be, easy and pleasant (to me) to read, though I did find it to be a museum piece. Nothing in it struck me as particularly fresh or funny or pertinent. The main theme of the play is the difference between conventional people and those of a distinctive artistic sensibility and development. Here this mostly has to do with matters of taste and perception, or imagination, in addition to certain attitudes with regard to social respectability and the amount of openness allowable in certain unconventional behaviors. The artists of 1932 are not especially outrageous or transgressive by current standards. Their main indulgences run to free (heterosexual) love, looking down on popular taste, and, for the women, a distaste for housekeeping and hosting tea parties. My dominant thought was of them all frozen in amber in their brief time inhabiting the New York scene, its apartments and offices and trains, riding out to the main character's Connecticut estate when they need air, and then, a few years after, they are gone, or superannuated, another generation, another movement, other outrageousness replacing them. So much for my impression of the book.
The author
In addition to this I have a reasonably sized novel and another play coming up as a reprieve from the fairly long books I have been reading on this list lately before I go back into two more gigantic novels back to back.
The Challenge
1. Robert Greene-48 Laws of Power...................................................................1,774
2. Isabelle Allende--The Japanese Lover...............................................................888
3. Stephenie Meyer--The Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide......................288
4. I Married a Witch (movie)..................................................................................204
5. Paul Johnson--Intellectuals.................................................................................118
6. The Devil's Violinist (movie)..............................................................................101
7. Leah Raeder--Black Iris......................................................................................101
8. David Eisenhower--Going Home to Glory...........................................................81
9. Michelle Mankin--Keep Me (Finding Me #3)......................................................46
10. Terror in the Aisles (movie)...............................................................................44
11. NWA and the Posse (record)..............................................................................38
12. Lisa Gail Green--Soul Crossed..........................................................................36
13. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (movie)........................................................24
14. The Works of Robert Ingersoll, vol XII..............................................................10
15. Edgar Wallace--The Door With Seven Locks.......................................................8
16. Rebecca M. Douglass--Death By Ice Cream.......................................................6
Round of 16
#1 Greene over #16 Douglass
Possibly interesting or at least topical non-fiction getting the nod over genre novels until the latter show me something.
#15 Wallace over #2 Allende
The Wallace book, which is from the 20s, is completely unavailable library-wise, but he is entitled to an upset.
#14 Ingersoll over #3 Meyer.
I need to stay plausibly serious.
#4 I Married a Witch over #13 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I Married a Witch is a 1942 movie starring Veronica Lake and Frederic March, and directed by Rene Clair. It also has the imprimatur of being released in a Criterion Collection edition. I may actually try to see it.
#5 Johnson over #12 Green
The seriousness factor again.
#11 N.W.A. over #6 The Devil's Violinist
The next modern movie about blood and supernatural creatures that I enjoy will be the first one.
#7 Raeder over #10 Terror in the Aisles
# 8 Eisenhower over #9 Mankin
The Eisenhower book, by the former president and supreme Allied commander's grandson, is a memoir covering the years from 1961-1969, which obviously is the period from when the author's grandfather left the White House until his death.
Elite 8
#15 Wallace over #1 Greene
Surprisingly only six libraries in the state of New Hampshire, and neither of my local ones, carry the Greene book, which was the overwhelming number #1 seed here. This still would have been enough to carry him past the obscure Wallace, but the latter was entitled to a rare second upset and thus cruises into the Final Four. Is he defeat-proof going forward?
#14 Ingersoll over #4 I Married a Witch
#5 Johnson over #11 N.W.A.
As we always do when saying goodbye to musical groups, here is a clip:
#8 Eisenhower over #7 Raeder
Final Four
#5 Johnson over #15 Wallace
#8 Eisenhower over #14 Ingersoll
Championship
#8 Eisenhower over #5 Johnson
I was curious about the Johnson book, but again, to my surprise, my local libraries did not have it, but the public library had the Eisenhower one. So that is the winner.
No comments:
Post a Comment