Prejudices, second series

"Prejudices, Second Series" by H. L. Mencken is a compilation of essays that sharply critiques American culture and literature in the early 1900s. Mencken uses a witty, honest style to cut through what he sees as the shallowness of the nation's artistic output, questioning why American writers hadn't lived up to the potential of literary heroes of the past. He points out the absence of truly original voices in American literature, blaming the country's social norms for holding back creative thought. Mencken begins by looking back at the high hopes of writers like Emerson and Whitman, and then contrasts these hopes with what he believes is the disappointing reality of more modern works. He expresses frustration with the superficiality he finds in current writing, arguing that American culture avoids facing important, difficult issues, setting up his essays as a challenge to conventional thinking and a celebration of strong thought over social niceties