Title: On the Contradictory Unity of Mencken’s Radical Thoughts

Abstract: In his works, H. L. Mencken expresses his ideas concerning such issues as education, media, democracy, politics, the President, religion, the South, Negroes, Jews, women, subjecting him to controversy both in his lifetime and after his death. People tend to pay attention to Mencken’s explicit controversial ideas while ignoring his implicit and traditional ones. In fact, Mencken’s thought as a whole is characterized by contradictory unity. His unique experience, his temperament, and his sticking to American values and lifestyle partly account for his radicalism.

Keywords: H. L. Mencken, radical thoughts, contradictory unity

Author: Chenghui Wang, Associate Professor, Foreign Studies College, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan, China.