I've been thinking of cromag's description of Thorne Smith as "subversive" in
this post, and the more I think about it, the more apt I think his description is. Smith seemed to be on a gentle crusade to rock the status quo to its foundations. His was the "Playboy philosophy" decades before
Playboy. His consistently ridicules the existing social norms and extols the virtues of being free from their influence.
Here's a typical example, enclosed in spoiler tags for length:
Spoiler:
Quote:
When after several fluttering attempts Megaera succeeded in lifting the long lashes from her heavy eyes some hours later she found herself gazing up at no less a personage than the outraged Alice Pollard Lambert. ...
'What are you doing in bed with that man?' she demanded in a voice of chilled reproof.
'What do you usually do under the circumstances?' Megaera asked lazily.
'I don't go to bed with men,' said Mrs. Lambert, her chin elevated virtuously.
'For goodness' sake,' said Meg with innocent interest. 'What do you go to bed with?'
'Don't be low and ridiculous,' replied Mrs. Lambert.
'Well, if you think it's ridiculous,' remarked the girl, 'you've got something on me. I think it's the most natural thing in the world.'
'Perhaps you do,' said Mrs. Lambert. 'I repeat my question. What are you doing here?'
'I wouldn't like to say,' replied Megaera with one of her wickedest smiles.
'How did you manage to get yourself in?' Mrs. Lambert continued inflexibly.
'If you must know,' said Megaera, indulging in a small but frank yawn, 'your son deliberately dragged me in here last night and threatened to strangle me if I screamed.'
Mr. Hawk's disorderly head popped up from the pillow as if suddenly jerked by a wire.
'Oh, what a lie!' he exclaimed.
'Furthermore, he's not my son,' said Mrs. Lambert, whose indignation at this reflexion cast on her age had for the moment made her forget the moral issue involved.
'Sorry,' said Megaera, 'but how was I to know? Perhaps he's your lover. If he is, I'm sorry for him.'
'He's neither my son nor my lover,' Mrs. Lambert announced with great dignity.
'Then who is your lover?' asked Meg. 'All this puzzles me.'
'I want you to know I have no lover,' Alice Lambert hurled at the girl in bed.
'I'm very sorry about that,' replied Megaera. 'But why do you want me to know it? I can't help you out.
'That besmirched creature on the bed beside you is my brother,' said Mrs. Lambert.
'Well, madam, all I can say is, you've got some brother.'
'Oh!' breathed Mrs. Lambert.
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