H-L-Mencken-H-L-Mencken-门肯门肯His lifeHe was born and spent most of his life in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of German immigrant parents. He completed high school but did not attend university, only graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute at 16. He became a reporter on the Baltimore Morning Herald. When he was nine years old, he read Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn, which he described it as the most stupendous(惊人的惊人的) event in his life and He determined to become a writer.marriageWhen he was 50(in 1930), Mencken married Sara Haardt, a professor of English at Goucher College,but Haardt was in poor health from tuberculosis throughout their marriage and she died in 1935misfortuneWhen he was 68,Mencken suffered a stroke that left him aware and fully conscious but nearly unable to read or write, and to speak with some difficulty. During his stroke period, Mencken enjoyed listening to European classical music. A few years later, he joined the staff of its rival newspaper, the Baltimore Sun or Evening Sun, first as a reporter, then as its drama critic and editor, a position which he held until 1941. He helped to found and edit two literary magazines which were highly influential among intellectuals.1)The Smart Set 2) The American MercuryHe hated narrow-minded religion. He believed strongly in intellectual freedom and fought all attempts to censor literature and drama. He felt that the greatest threat of censorship came from the countrys religion fundamentalists, whose opinions were all based on their interpretation of the Bible.2) He hated commercialism.3) He did not support democracy because he considered the masses too ignorant and greedy to exercise it wisely.His works Menckens essays were received with delight or horror, depending on the readers point of view, he was also highly respected for his literary criticism and he exerted a powerful influence on American literature.The American Language 1918Prejudices (6 vols) 1919-1927Happy daysNewspaper Days 1940-1943 autobiographyHeathen Days25 Books and thousands of articlesThe American LanguageHe was a leading scholar in the field of language. His monumental book The American Language is considered an outstanding work of philology.a) It examined the development of the English language in America,b) It contrasted English and American expressions and usage.c) It explained the origin of many American idioms,d) It traced the influence of immigrant languages on American English.His StyleHe is well-known for his bombastic style and acid tongueHe wrote with verve(strong feeling), gusto (eager enjoyment) and exaggeration. His exuberant and extravagant use of the language was so amusing and startling that even his most violently critical essays became acceptable to his readers.He employed a huge vocabulary and liked to insert unusual or unexpected words, for surprise or comic effect, into otherwise normal sentences. Although his style is occasionally difficult to read, Mencken is still considered one of the best and liveliest essayists of this century.CommentsMencken was the most prominent newspaperman, book reviewer, and political commentator of his day. Menckens writing is endearing because of its wit, its crisp style, and the obvious delight he takes in it. He had a rollicking(欢闹的), rambunctious（粗暴的） style of writing.He was a journalist satirist, social critic, cynic, freethinker in the 20th century.He is known as the sage of Baltimore. He is often regard as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century结束结束