The Washington times., 1931-10-31
True to Type
FLATTERY OF AMERICA
By SINCLAIR LEWIS
UNACCEPTABLE
-Bv GILBERT SELDES

8By OGAABEktA SEADk1S
Mr.. Sinclair Lewis, the American Nobel man. is so
gifted writer that he make editors accept two
part serial which, ordinarily they dislike intensely be-
evng that readers prefer serial in three parts
and will not read one which runs only twice (Edltors
are queer too The latest of Mr. Lewis stories Dollar
Chasers in two parts; full of life and energy;
cheap broad satire about English lecturers who still
believe that they make their way in America by
telling Americans how vulgar Americans are.
An Ancient Theme
AS theme this is not fresh, and the central charac
ter would be called extravagant caricature were it
not for the weatesed fact that English lecturers
are such gross carcatures of themselves that the satris
needs only to tell the truth For ten years number of
American writers have protested against the doce and
tid way Americans accept criticism from any foregner
and if in ten years these writer's haven't covered the
ground it is necessary and that Mr. Lewis should
do the work again The improperly lies in the mind
of Mr. Lewis itself
A Critic in Reverse
I have noticed that since the reception of his
remarks winning the Nobel prize Mr. Lewis has be-
come unduly anxious to fatter Americans He boosted
Vermont where he lives in the accents and phrases OF
reator and his stories exalt the simple American
virtues On the whole this is harder to do than what
Mr. Lewis did BEFORE and he had any clear perception
of American character if he had genuine emotion
about America and were not simply reversing his old
formula, it would be significant.
Can Lewis Think?
But the only significance find far, is that
the man who has been selected to represent American
literature to the European world, not only doesn't
know much about America, but actually cannot think
about it with any logic and betrays himself into
strange snobbery Mr. Lewis stuffs his British lecturer
with ideas about the United Sates notably the ideas
that Americans do not know how to ve lack courtesy
and reticence are interested only in gang murders
oho11o tcfron
in railroad trains. And then Mr.. Lewis irony being
what is he has the Engishman accost strangers in
railroad trains and find that they college profes
sors business who do not like to be spoken to.
The Story
The lecturer has to be shocked into knowledge of
the true America He has to find women who speak
without twang, in good English whose cultiva-
ton is both deep and broad houses which quietly;
families whose lives based mutual courtesy and
trust The point of the story story, is that the
visitor crusted with prejudice to recognize these
things and goes back to write totally false book
about America. It is good fiction point spoiled by
Mr. Lewis added trick-the authorecturer isn't high-
class" himself; he grocers delivery boy, and is
discovered by childhood friend who is valet.
Missing the Point
So much for the story, in which Mr.. Lewis is minor
master The center of the matter is this That almost
every time Mr.. Lewis wishes to show America a
decent and interesting country, he does it through
Anglicized Europeanized Americans. And the
climax at country house (near Chicago) which
is described to us in such way as to make it seem
entirely desirable and which is in every essential
spect British country house. 1t is all buffers and
Wallets and hounds and the smart conversation of a
political weekend in Surrey It exists in America, and
am told it is rather we'll done in America. But it is
fundamentally an import And it is the only thing Mr..
Lewis found to drive home his point.
The Better Americans
In England during the war, was often tempted to
practice nasaizng my speech and to bring myself to
throwing few Il swans and "Jehosaphats" into my
conversation because English friends rather freully
complained that didn't talk like an American (They
meant like Americans in books like the Abmilech T.
Covers of their fiction since Dickens tme These Lon
doners had known outside of fiction only one class of