Anita Loos and Sexual Economics:

"GentlemenPreferBlondes"
T. E. BLOM

In January,1926,EdithWhartonwroteFrankCrowninshield thatshewas"just
readingtheGreatAmericannovel(atlast!)'GentlemenPreferBlondes,'& I want
to know if thereare - or will be - others,& if you knew the funny woman, who
mustbe a genius-." Crowninshielddid indeed know Anita Loos;he sent
Wharton'spostcardto her, and when Loossuggested
to Whartonthat shehad
overpraised
the book,Whartonresponded:"I meanteverywordI wroteabout
'Blondes.'" In Februaryof the sameyear, William Faulknerwrote Loos,

I havejustreadtheBlondebook.... PleaseacceptmyenviouscongratulationsonDorothy-
thewayyoudid herthroughthe(intelligence?) of thatelegantmoronofa cornflowerOnly
youhaveplayeda rottentrickonyouradmiringpublic.Howmanyof them,doyouthink,
will everknow that Dorothyhas something,that the dancingman, le gigolo,wasreally
somebody? My God,it'scharming-besthoaxsinceWitterBinner'sSpectral Schoolin verse
- mostof themwill becompletely
unmoved-evenyourratherclumsygagswon'tgetthem-
and the otherswill only find it slight and humorous.The [Sherwood]Andersonseven
mentioned RingLardnetin talkingto me aboutit. Butperhapsthatwaswhat youwere
after,and you havebuildedbetterthan you knew: I am still ratherVictorianin my
prejudicesregarding
theintelligenceofwomen,despite ElinorWylieandWillaCatherand
allthe balanceof them. But I wish I had thoughtof Dorothy'first.2

AlthoughWharton'sand Faulkner'sresponses may in partbe no morethanthe

expressionof passingenthusiasmfor an amusingbestseller,bothcommentsalso
suggesttheir authors'awarenessthat Anita Loos'brief bookwas a significant
contributionto Americanletters.Yet to this day, seriousconsiderationof the
precisenature of that contributionhas, if anything, been inhibited by the
durableappealof Blondes.3 FrederickHoffman,for example,findsthat the con-
tinuedpopularityof Blondeshelpsperpetuatethefalsemythof thetwentiesas"a
grotesqueworld, rememberedfor sophomoricbehavior."4
If it is true that popularityis no index to criticalworth, it is no lesstruethat
popularitymayhinderaccurate assessment of criticalworth.Perhapsfiftyyears
afterits first appearancein print, we shouldlook at Blondes seriously.I suggest
thata closereadingof thetextrevealsthe many-faceted brillianceof Loos'satiric
andpropheticvision:satiric,because like all satire,herbookplaysoffthefads
and follies it ridicules,yet cutsdeeper to exposethe human inadequacycon-
cealedbehind the flamboyantmask;prophetic,becausean Americathat seem-

THECANADIANREVIEWOFAMERICANSTUDIES
VOL. VII, NO, 1 SPRING1976
inglycouldnot orwould notseethepoint of Loos'satirenevertheless mined her
book for a number of the aphorismsand attitudes that in turn becamethe
bywords and guidelines of popular American culture. Nowhere is this
phenomenon moreclearlyseenthan in Loos'heroine,LoreleiLee, the inelucta-
bly fascinating,amoral,and seeminglywitlessbeauty who becameAmerica's
first dumb blonde,that peculiarlyAmericanVenus who spawned squadsof
daughtersin literature(Kanin'sBillieDawn, Inge'sCherie, Williams'BabyDoll,
Welty'sBonnieDee)and in life (JeanHarlow, JudyHolliday, Marilyn Monroe,
and Goldie Hawn).
In 1953,Looscommentedon her heroine'spopularity: "Lorelei, the immoral
golddigger,[became]
thesweetheart
of theworld. Almosteveryoneseemedto
havemissedthe point of the story.Lorelei [became]a kind of Cinderella."s Yet
Loos'surprise
thatLoreleishould
becometheworld'ssweetheart
isin someways
ingenuous,for Lorelei was createdout of her embittered author's personal
knowledgeof thecompellingattractiveness of sucha womanin a societywhich,
terrifiedby the sexualtitillationit craves,delightsin womenwho are beautiful
fools.In her late twenties, talented, famous, and successful,Loos fell in love with
H. L. Mencken,who, thoughheacceptedherasawitty friend,becameinfatuated
withoneMaeDavis,anaspiringblondeactress
with a "naive,stupidviewpmnt
on everything."Loos'responsewas to write a satiriccharactersketchof Lorelei
Lee- not onlytodelightMenckenand therebyprovewit's superiorityto dumb
beauty,butalsotochastise
himbyrevealinghisstupidityandthestupidityofall
men who fall for beautiful birdbrains. The twofold attack on Mencken could not
failtohit home,for,asLoossaw,thewomanwhosointriguedhim wasa booba
americana.6 Yet to Loos,who embodiedthe qualitiesof intelligence,taste,and
wit whichMenckenpraised,andwho wasalways,notjust in her relationship
withhim,unlucky in love,Loreleibecamemorethanjustthebuttof a joke,for
LoosinsiststhatLorelei'sirresistible
charmis bothproductandsignof sexual
inadequacyandhypocrisy in Americanmenin general,notjustin Mencken.
CombiningtwobasicAmericancharacter types- theinnocentgirl of Hawth-
orne and James,and the con-man of Melville and Twain- Loos introduced a new
kindof character
intoAmericanfiction:the femalerogue-picaro.
A pragmatist
conduced to amoralityby theviceandfollyofhertimes,Loreleitellsa talewhich
fitsthepicaresque
tradition,insofarasit describes
how shetraversesthe world
andthesocialclasses whichcompose it andarrivesultimatelyat thedecisionto
alterdrastically
herlifestylesothatshemayescape fromtheevilswhichthreaten
herexistence. Loos'adherence to theclassicrequirements ofpicaresque narra-
tive makesher booksomethingmore than just a joke either for Mencken's
pleasureor at hisexpense; in fact,Blondesis a classicsend-upof theAmerican
mythin whicha nobodyfromnowheredefeatstheoldEuropean valuesof class
andeducation, andwinsallthatisthoughtworthwinning- moneyandfame.
LoosnotesthatMencken's "TheSaharaoftheBozarts"inspiredher to choose
LittleRock,Arkansas, asLorelei's
birthplace,?butLorelei's diaryreveals
thatthe
socialandintellectualwasteland shepasses through is nomereprojectionofher
own crassnature and Little Rock nurture. Rather, it exists in fact, and its
abysmallackofspiritual,
cultural,
andintellectual
unityironically
reveals
itsac-
tualandorderingprinciple:
commerce.Abysmallyignorantofgeography - "It
seemsthatViennais in France
andif yougoonto England yougoto far"8-

4o
Loreleiguidesherselfin New York, on shipboard,in England,and Europe,
solelyby reference
to Ritz hotels,exclusive
restaurants,
and fancyshops.
Lorelei'smode of orientation is thoroughly appropriatein a world where order
existsonlyin thepatternsestablishedby commercialenterprises
cateringto the
leisureclass,becausefine hotels,restaurants,and shopsdispensinggems,costly
perfumes,
andclothing
provide
a life-sustaining
design
forlivingtothose
men
andwomenwealthy enoughto patronizethem. Furthermore,the absolutesuc-
cesswith which Lorelei inspiresthe adorationof thoseshemeetson her pica-
resque
wanderings revealstheblindallegiance
ofalltothecommercial
valuesshe
epitomizes.
Glitteringin the diamondsbestowed uponherin returnfor sexual
favors,sheis the faithful mirrorof a societywhich, in worshippingher, worships
its own acquisitiveness.Lorelei personifiesconspicuousconsumptionin her
never-endingdemandsfor more and more materialgoodsand in her creative
abilityto consume.Thoughsheadmits,"I thoughtI had almostone of every-
thing,"shecannotresista diamondtiara which seemsat $7,500to be a "very,
verygreatbargain"and whichdelightsher "becauseit is a placewhereI really
neverthought of wearing diamondsbefore"; perceivingat oncehow she can
adaptthe tiarato herown use,sheschemesto possess it, "becauseI couldwearit
backwardswith a ribbon, on accountof my hair being bobbed" (pp.68-69).
Her machinationsto acquiresuchvaluablegifts are an inevitableand neces-
saryresponseto her world. On the simplestlevel,her demandsfor jewelsrather
than money from her admirers, her problems in understandingfinancial ex-
changeratesduring her travelsin Europe, and dark hints of the collapseof the
Germanmark, all suggestthe basicinstability of monetarywealth; only jewels,
theacmeof portableproperty,haveenduringworth: asLoreleishrewdlyreports,
"thegoodthing about diamondsis they alwayslook new" (p. 69).
Like Moll Flandersand BeckySharp, Lorelei - whose statusas underdog is
determinednot by family backgroundor economicstatus,but by sexualgender-
isafittingemblemof the societywhich surroundsher, a societymadeup solelyof
con-menand fools;by placingLoreleiin sucha society,Loospromptsher readers
not to censurebut to delight in Lorelei's faculty for deceiving others. Lorelei
nevervictimizes sympatheticcharacters(given the constitutionof her world, she
encountersnone) and never exploits the needy (the needy have nothing she
wants).But evenmore significantly,time and againLoreleiis successfully duped
by anotherat the very moment she is duping a third party. And so, even when
Loreleiappearsmost victorious, she is shown to be vulnerable, a fact which
suggests that Lorelei'sdevotedapplicationto her careerasa confidencewoman is
necessary for existencein a societywhere survivaldependsupon vigilanceand
the skill with which one uses others to advance the self.
Thus, far from denoting criminal maladjustment,Lorelei'sacts reveal her
normality;in factthey reflectthe attitudesof her malecompatriots,who like her
gaugesuccesssolelyin termsof the ability to acquirewealth. Dealing with men
whowant something(herself)fornothingorforwhat sheconsiders to be nothing
- a diamond which is "a little thing you could hardly see" (p. 19), a bracelet
"whichis only goldand doesnot haveany stonesin it" (p. 74)- Loreleiworks
hardto inveiglethe mostvaluablegiftspossiblefrom her protectors,
and the
success of her efforts demonstrates that she is indeed what she defines herself as
being- a "Professional
Lady."This phrase,whichfirstappearsto be merelya
darklycomiceuphemism, isin factanepithetofbitingaccuracy, suggesting,asit
does,thecash-sex
nexusof a societyin whicha kept-woman's financialsecurity
depends uponherabilitytoweara maskofrefinement thatwill disguisefromher
hostand herselfthe true nature of their relationship.
In depicting Lorelei's constantdedication to her career objectives, Loos
parodiesthe businessman's tenetthat the pursuitsof wealth and pleasureare
mutuallyexclusiveactivities.Consistentlyevaluatingher partnersby the worth
of the giftstheyproduce,Loreleiis angeredby her friendDorothy'sunwilling-
ness
similarly
tosubordinate
a desire
fora goodtie totheamassing
ofwealth
and so dismissesher with the comment, "After all, why should I listen to the
adviseof a girl like Dorothywho travelledall overEuropeand all shecamehome
with wasa bangle"(p. 180).UnlikeDorothy,Loreleiis awarethat shemustboth
define and achievesomegoal for herself, and like a good businessman,Lorelei
consciously refusesto enjoyherself,lesta moment'srelaxationjeopardizesurety
of materialreturn; shethereforedecidesneverto seethe FrenchViscount again,
because"Frenchgentlemenare really quite deceeving.I mean they take you to
quitecuteplacesandtheymakeyou feelquitegoodaboutyourselfand you really
seemto have a delightfultime but when you get home and cometo think it all
over,allyouhavegotis a fanthatonlycost20francsanda dollthattheygaveyou
away for nothingin a restaurant.I mean a girl has to look out in Paris, or she
wouldhavesucha goodtimein Paristhatshewouldnot getanywheres"(p. 100).
Forfeitingall to the profitmotive,Loreleidecidesthat "when a girl reallyenjoys
beingwith a gentleman,it putsher to quite a disadvantageand no real goodcan
comeof it" (p. 77). As a result,shevigorouslydeniesher real sexualpreferences,
and concentrates on men who comeboth equipped and willing to reducemale-
femalerelationsto a businessdeal in which sexualfavors are exchangedfor
valuableproperty.Moreover, her frequently assertedunwillingness to waste
time having a good time with a man she finds attractive contributes to her
financialsuccess in yet anotherway: by choosingto makeherselfavailableonly
to men shefindssexuallyuninteresting,Loreleicreatesa situationin which such
men, madeconscious of their deficientsexualappeal,showerpresentsuponher
in franticattemptsto engrossher wanderingattention.The "very very beautiful
braceletof squarecutdiamonds"(p. 19)which Loreleireceivesfrom Gus Elsman
testifiesnot to hislove, but to his awarenessof his own sexualinadequacy.
But though Lorelei is paid off in presentsfor servicesunmentioned and
unmentionable,and appearsdeckedin jewelsbefittingthe lady her protectors
mustinsistsheis, her avoidance of menshefindssexuallyexcitingdoomsherto
dissatisfaction.
Theprofessional
ladypubliclydefinesherselfby participatingin
theactivitywhichthemiddleclassmadethelady'sprerogative - sheshops;and
Loreleidevotesherselfto shoppingwith whatappearsto hermaleprotectors to
be a frighteningavidity.Butthemoredeeplyinvolvedshebecomeswith men
likedull,butrichMr. Elsman,themorerestless anddepressed shebecomes, and
herdim awareness of theshortcomingsofhersocietyis apparentin thesugges-
tionthatherpursuitof materialwealthis partlyan attemptto staveoff despair.
Diamonds, shesays,makea girlfeel"quitecheeredup" (p. 19),andherneedfor
suchcheeringup is evidentin her perceptionthat "civilizationis not what it
oughtto be andwe reallyoughtto havesomethingelseto takeits place"(pp.
138-39). Herideaofwhatshould taketheplaceofthepresent imperfectrealityis,

42
despitethe illiteracyof her language
and theseemingvacuityof her thought,
highlysignificant, forLoreleidreamsof escaping
to a Utopiawheresexualand
financialneedscanbe mutually satisfied.Summingup her problem, which she
seesasthat of all women, sheremarks,"we girlsreally cannot help it, if we have
ideals,and sometimesmy mind seemsto get to running on things that are
romantic,and I seemto think that maybe thereis someplacein the world where
thereisa gentlemanwho knowshowto lookandactlike CountSalmandwhohas
gotmoneybesides"
(p. 171).
Lorelei'sdilemma,the necessityfor her schemes,and herultimatesuccess,
are
allequallyproducts
ofwhatLoosseesasAmericanmaleinsecurity
andhypocrisy
born of a deep-seated,Puritan-inducedfear of acknowledgingphysicaland
emotionalneeds.Unableto admiteithertheir ownsexualityorthatof thewomen
theydesire,Lorelei's
malecompanions
deceivethemselves
byinsistingthatthey
want the companionshipof a "refined" girl whose "brains" have been "im-
proved"
(p. 12)andsocarryontheiraffairsundertheguiseofprovidingLorelei
with moral, intellectual, or spiritual guidance. But neither Miss Loos nor her
heroineis deceived- men do in factpreferblondes,and dumb blondesat that,
forthe appearance of moraland intellectualstupidityin the beautifulwoman
clothes
her desirablebodyin a facsimileof innocence,makingit possiblefor the
manto acceptherwillingnessto grantsexualfavorsasevidencenot of immoral-
it'y,butof naiveunawareness
of themoralnorm.UnlikeDorothy,Loreleiis no
flapper,broadcasting
contempt
forthesexualcodeofherparents;
rather,Lorelei
isbothproductandexpression
of herparents'code,andhersuccess
is theresult
of the skill with which shemanipulatesthe hypocrisiesin it to her own advan-
tage.
Unable for economicand socialreasonsto flout traditional morality, Lorelei
confrontsthe dilemmafacedby mostwomen with the comingof emancipation.
Because shewishesto maintainher identity asan independentbeing,sherejects
GeraldLamson,who "doesnotlike a girl to be nothingelsebut a doll, but helikes
herto bring in her husband'sslipperseveryeveningandmakehim forgetwhat
he has gone through" (p. 23); "why [she asks]shouldI ... marry an author,
wherehe is the whole thing and all I would be would be the wife of Gerald
Lamson?" (p. 34).But if, asLoreleiperceives,thelife of the "old-fashionedgirl"
isaformof enslavement,it is onlyby playingtheroleofan old-fashioned girl that
a woman can achievethe socialpositionand acquirethe wealth necessaryfor
survival,let aloneindependence. Therefore,trappedby her financialneedand
thesicknessof her male hosts,Lorelei assumesthe guiseof the "old-fashioned
girl," indulgingtheir fantasythat it is not her body but her brainsthat attract
them,that they seekher only to further her education.And in sodoing, shein
factgainstheonlyfunctionalknowledgethisworld hasto offer-how to deceive.
Indeed, far from being "haphazardlyconstructed and castwith caricature
ratherthancharacter, "9Blondes isdesignedto satirizethroughbothplotandstyle
theperversityof a societywhich demandsthe illusionsthat both destroyand
sustainit. In the courseof her story,Loreleimovesfrom intuitive to conscious
knowledgeofher ownneeds,thenatureofherworld,andthemethodsby which
shecanmanipulateher maleprotectorsin orderto gratifyhereverywish at their
expense. Moreover,the languagein which sherecountsher experiences conveys
the schismbetween what she is and what she would like others- and perhaps

43
herself- to believe she is. Possibly, it was JamesJoyce'sawarenessof the
innovativebrillianceof the styleof Lorelei'sseeminglyunstructureddiary that
led him, thoughhalf-blind,to spend"threewhole days"readingBlondes. m
Buoyant,light-hearted,
expansive,and apparentlyingenuous,Lorelei'srecord
ofheradventuresandthoughtsis not theproductof a freelyassociating
streamof
consciousness, but a documentcarefully couchedin deceptive language.An
illiteratewhorecognizes theimportanceof manipulatinglanguageto achieveher
ends,Loreleiwritesto displaythe proprietousrefinementand reverenceneces-
saryfor success. As Looshasnoted, at no time doesan improper word pass
Lorelei's lips, yet Lorelei's redundancy, her addiction to meaningless
intensifiers, her understatementsand anticlimaxes, her dangling modifiers,
mixed constructions, and abuseof logic, all serveultimatelyto disclosenot only
what she would conceal, but also her desire to deceive even herself. Sometimes
herlanguage breaksdownwhensheconfronts thenecessity of puttinga prop-
rietouslightonanimproprietousaction.Shespeaksofthe"gentlemanwhoused
topaycallsonmein thepark"(p. 47)andofDorothy,who"meta gentleman who
gavehimselfan introductionto her in the lobby of the Ritz" (p. 14). At other
times,Lorelei'schoiceof dictionand idiom inadvertentlyrevealthe true nature
ofheractivities,aswhenshenotesthat sheandDorothyplan"to takeadvantage
of everybodywe meetastravelingis the highestform of education"(p. 60),or
when shecommentsthat Mr. Eisman"was practicallyborn for we girls to shop
on" (p. 197).
Lorelei'scharacterevolvescredibly in the courseof her diary. Initially, her
actionsaremerelyimpulsive,the productof a mind which is seeminglya tabula
rasa.Like a baby,sheis spontaneously selfish:conceivingof the universeasan
extension of herself, she is unable to differentiate her own needs from those of
others.Perceivingno distinctionbetweenherselfand hermaid, shetellsthe girl
to read LordJim"and then tell me all about it, so that I would improve my mind"
(p. 28), and later, when she and her confidante,Dorothy, choose identical
costumesto wearto a masquerade,Loreleiremarkswith satisfaction,"everyone
saidwe madequite a cuteCarmen"(p. 55). Like a guilty child trying to absolve
himself of wrongdoing,Lorelei also demarcatesabsurd boundaries between
herselfand her acts.Launchedon her careeras the result of her acquittal in a
murder trial, she recounts the event which led to her arrest with absolute
convictionof her innocence,remarking that at the crucialmoment, "my mind
was really blank and when I cameout of it, it seemsthat I had a revolver in my
handand it seemsthat therevolverhad shotMr. Jennings"(p. 48).
The transferof will from herselfto the gun she holds, exemplifies Lorelei's
senseof herselfas a passivepawn. Like Moll Flanders, who excusesher actson
the groundthattheDevil droveher to committhem, Loreleiabsolvesherselfof all
responsibilityand thus protectsherselffrom knowledgeof her own corruption
on the groundsthat"when a girl'slife is asfull offateasmine seemsto be, thereis
nothingelseto do aboutit" (p. 43). Yet despiteher continuedavowalsthat she
driftswith the currentof destiny,Loreleiis shockedfrom amiableand careless
flexibility into a knowledgeof the necessityof planning her future, and once
aroused,shegainsremarkableability to imposeher will upon her world. For
Lorelei, as for many anotherAmerican, the Atlantic is the sea of experience
which awakensthe innocentto a terrifyingawarenessof the deceptiveness of

44
appearances,
andLorelei's
contact
withanolder,morecomplex
European
civili-
zationimposesuponher an awareness of dangerand concomitantlytheburden
ofconsciousness
which leadsher to the discoverythat"brainsarereallyevery-
thing."In England,sheencounters
boththetrickeryofaristocratic
womenwho
try to swindlewealthyAmericansand theparsimony of Englishmenwhose
"quitequaintcustom ofnotgivinga girlmanypresents"(p.74)seemstoheran
unfairrefusalto play the sexualgamecorrectly.Theseexperiences giveLoreleia
new senseof the value of money and what it can buy, stimulatingher to
energetic,consciouslywrought, and complicatedschemesfor acquiringa
numberof valuable gifts, chief among which is a diamond tiara. The seriesof
deceptions practiceduponherwhen sheleavesLondonfor Parisbothincrease
heravariceand revealthe difficultyof satisfyingit. In thejewelryshopsof Paris,
herdiscoveryof pastejewelsthatglitterlike diamondsproducesa psychicshock:
"It reallymakesa girl feeldepressed to think a girl couldnottell it wasnothing
but an imitation. I mean a gentlemancould deceevea girl" (p. 97). But her
responseto the danger of placingtrust in material goods,the appearanceof
whichmay disguisea shabbyrealityis, ironicallyenough,not thetraditionalone
of turning to more permanentspiritual concerns,but the pragmaticdecisionto
testthe material world more fully and to turn the deceptivenessin it to her own
ends.As a resultof her new awareness, Loreleibeginsthinkingin earnest:"I
decidedit wastime to do somethinking and I reallythoughtquitea lot" (p. 114),
sheannounces. The sumtotalofher cogitationis thediscovery thatwomenneed
not necessarilybe the victimsof male deceivers,but can themselvespractice
deception.Specifically,Lorelei decides to purchase a paste replica of the
diamondtiara, which shelearnstwo Frenchlawyersare planningto stealfrom
her; onceequipped with the falsejewels, she entersupon a seriesof adventures
whichparody throughrole reversalthe plot of Frenchfarce.Like a man who uses
thelure of an expensivegift to extort sexualpleasure,Loreleitemptsthe French
lawyerswith glimpsesof what they assumeis the tiara they havebeen hired to
plfer, and so manages to acquire from them the commoditiesshe desires:
clothes,accessories, theatertickets,fine food, and champagne.
Ironicallycomplementingthis demonstrationof her ability to useher brainsto
deceiveothers,Loreleibeginsto emphasizeher statusasan innocentgirl requir-
ing someone to protect her, and her consciouschoice of this role reveals the
increasedshrewdnessof her perceptions.Like DaisyMiller and IsabelleArcher,
Lorelei has gained knowledge of the consequencesof sexuality through her
contactswith Europeanmales,whom she then evaluatesnegativelyin compari-
sonwith Americangentlemen:"the more! traveland themoreI seemto seeother
gentlementhe more I seemto think of Americangentlemen"(p. 134). But the
"innocence"which attractsthis modern American girl to her male compatriots
residesnot in their greaterspirituality,but in their greaterweaknessand gullibil-
it-y,which she realizesshecanuseto her own advantage.LeavingFrancefor the
"Centralof Europe," Loreleitravelsthrough Germany,where shesees"quite a
lot of girls who seemedto be putting smallsizehay stacksontolargesizehay
stackswhile their husbandsseemedto sit at a tableunder quite a shadytreeand
drink beer" (p. 133). Worried and depressedby this prospectof European
marriage, Lorelei decidesto take full advantageof the possibilitiesfor escape
offeredby herencounter
with thewealthyAmerican,HenrySpoffard,whom"all

45
ofwe girlshavetriedveryhardto havean introductionto" (p. 136).Henry'sgreat
wealthand extremesexualrepression(censoringfilms is his philanthropy)make
himanidealhostforthefemaleparasiteandgiveLoreleiacrowningopportunity
to demonstratethe consequences of the educationshe has undergone. In her
effortsto attract,win, and controlHenry, Loreleidemonstratesa new ability to
foreseefutureconsequences and preparein advancedeceptiveploys to capitalize
upontheweaknesses of herintendedvictim. Moving frompassiveacceptance of
to activecomplicityin malefantasiesof her asexuality,Loreleiwins Henry not
merelyby callingherselfan "old fashionedgirl," but by disguisingherselfin
"quitea simplelittle organdygownthat I hadrippedall thetrimmingsoff of, and
.. a pair of blacklacemittsthatDorothy usedto wear in the Follies"(pp. 163-64).
Thefactthatherincreasing ruthlessnessis notonlymadepossiblebut is actually
enforcedby herawarenessof the vacuityand hypocrisyof her victims makesthe
final movementof the novel triumphantly ironic. Perceivingthe decadentdebil-
ity of Henry'sfamily,Loreleiproceedsto usetheir moneynot only to fulfill all her
own desires,but to consolidateher power over her hosts.Noteworthy only for
their wealthand unableto useit to achievepleasure,the Spoffardfamily canlive
only vicariously:thus it is both fitting and inevitable that Lorelei uses their
wealth to finance her career as movie star.
The penultimatepagesof Blondessatirize a societywhich choosesas its love
goddessthe moviequeenwhosesmiling imagein celluloidreflectsthe culture's
own tawdry artificiality. The history of the naming of Lorelei, the ascendant
movie star, becomessinister in retrospect. Emerging from nowhere, she is
christenedby the societythat acquitsher of murder seeminglyon the grounds
that her action - which she sees as the unwilled and inevitable result of male
faithlessness- is the actionwhich canbe expectedof all women.The description
of this crucialexperienceimplies that Loreleiis the avatar of the destroying
femalegoddess
of myth:"all thegentlemenin thejury all criedwhen my lawyer
pointed at me and told them that they practicallyall had either a mother or a
sister.... Soit wasJudgeHibbard who reallygaveme my namebecausehe did
nothke thenameI had becausehe saida girl oughtto havea namethat oughtto
expressher personality.So he said my name ought to be Lorelei which is the
nameof a girlwhobecamefamousforsittingona rockin Germany"(pp. 48-49).
And like her namesake, this modern Lorelei entices those who love her to a
destructionsoughtout of their own sickness.Panderingto Henry's unadmitted
lasciviousness,she allowshim the opportunityto censorthe movies she will
make with her lover, Mr. Montrose.Willing to allow the ineffectual,senile
sexualityof theelderMr. Spoffardfull playamongthe moviestarlets,sheextends
herprotective powerto him: "I havegivenordersto all of the electriciansnotto
dropanylightson him" (p. 215),but for her interferingmother-in-law,whose
directivepoweroverHenry shehasusurped,Loreleihasno suchconcern:"I am
notgoingto botherto speakto theelectricians aboutHenry'smother"(p. 216).
SoLoreleihypnotizesherwillinglydeceived,corruptworldinto passivesub-
servienceandsummarizes herexperiences in a statement,theverytruth ofwhich
damnshersociety:
"I amalmostwilling tobelieveit, wheneverybodysaysI am
nothingbutsunshinebecause
everybody I comeintocontactwith alwaysseems
tobecomehappy"(p. 212).Her victoriouspilgrimageat an end,Loreleiarrivesin
Hollywood, the terminus of the American movement west, where all dissolves

46
 intodreams.Butfor Loreleithereis no lastfrontier;thefantasyland of film offers
herthe starringrole in a movie on the sexlife of Dolly Madison (p. 200), a role
whichcanelevateLoreleifroma "ProfessionalLady" to thefirstlady of theland,
andmesmerizea vast paying audienceinto her willing slaves.
Lorelei'spicaresqueprogressto marriage,wealth, and fame- the only goals
hersocietyrecognizes - revealsthe sterilehypocrisyof middle-class American
culture.Settingout from Little Rock,Lorelei triumphsoverher male-dominated
societyby combiningmale American-business know-howand femalesexual
desirabilitywith the appearance of innocence,that appearancewhich Loosin-
sistsAmericans- both male and female- preferto innocence,prefer to experi-
ence.Surely,whenFrederickHoffmanreferstoBlondes asan"ingeniousevasion
of reality,"2he becomesguilty of the very offensehe accusesothersof commit-
ting:taking the literatureof the twentiestoo lightly. Like Fitzgerald,Lewis,
Mencken,and others,Anita Loostrenchantlyanatomizesher society."Gentle-
menPreferBlondes"is a classicAmerican satire.

NOTES

1 Theoriginalsof Wharton'stwo letters(dated:Jan.12,1926,and Thursday[August,19267])

arein Miss Loos' possession.
2 Theoriginalof Faulkner'sletter(dated:SomethingFebry1926)is in MissLoos'possession.
3 Sinceits first publication in serial form (Harper'sBazar, March-August, 1925) and book
form(November, 1925),Blondeshasgonethrough 45 printings in the clothedition (Loos,A
GtrlLikeI [New York: Viking, 1966],p. 272), has been translatedinto 13 languagesto
becomea best-seller in 26 countries (A. E. Hotchner, "Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes,"
Theatre Arts,38 [July,1953],p. 27), andhasbeenturnedinto a stageplay(1926),two movies
(1928,1953),and a musicalcomedy(1949),recentlyrevivedon Broadway(1974).
4 TheTwenties(New York:Viking, 1965),p. 422.
5 Hotchner,p. 94.
6 Gtrl,pp. 264-67.
7 Gtrl,p. 266.
8 "Gentlemen PreferBlondes":TheIlluminatingDiary of a Professional
Lady(New York:Born
andLiveright, 1925),p. 56. Subsequentreferenceswill be made parentheticallywithin the
text.

9 Gary Carey, "Prehistory: Anita Loos," in Richard Corliss, ed., The HollywoodScreen-
wrtters,(New York: Avon, 1965),p. 44.
10 LettertoHarriet ShawWeaver,8 November1926,in Letters ofJames Joyce,
ed. StuartGilbert
(NewYork:Viking Press,1957),p. 264.
11 Girl,p. 270.
12 Hoffman,p. 422.

47