Book by
Phillip Wylie, (c)1942, revised 1955
This book blows the lid off of the comfortable American society of the 30's, 40's, and 50's. It is still a powderkeg. Wylie takes on every sacred cow of the time -- a time that produced, in large measure, today's world. Nothing is safe.
A few selected examples
- "Religion in our Christian land was mostly peurile fiddle-faddle before science kicked it apart. {...} The dross of semtiment, fable, error, and fundamentalism (which was everything but fundamental) was not discarded for the pure gold of exquisite logic and insight which remained in the Scriptures. The whole business was thrown overboard. And the church did not try to retain any integrity{....}"
- "The failure of science is even more grotesque. {...} One should not hand loaded pistols to the youngsters in a day nursery; but that is the learned procedure of this century."
- Thoughts on advertizements -- "The idea underlying them grows annually more discernible even to the obtuse {...;} This slogan : Madam, are you a good lay?"
- "Mom is a jerk."
Read this book.
Tucked away in my copy was an article clipped from a newsprint magazine of the 60's, and article called "Generation of Zeroes". In it Wylie broadsides the
beatniks and their ilk, but I don't find it to have the truth and vitriol of the book. Wylie comes off as simply reactionary, whereas
Generation of Vipers is revolutionary.
It is obvious from the softlinked commentary below that these radical ideas have occurred to others. That's my point. The occurred to Phillip Wylie more than half a century ago.