The Vintage Mencken | Overview & Chapter Abstracts for Teachers

Chapter Abstracts

Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter. They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of characters and objects. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of the text for either a student or teacher.

Introduction, 1-4 Abstract

* Alistair Cooke edited this volume in order to remind the world of Mencken, and share Mencken with a new generation.

5-9 Abstract

* "Introduction to the Universe": Mencken's first memory was watching a carnival, which frightened him.
* "The Baltimore of the Eighties": Winters were difficult, summers were...
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