![]() First edition | |
Author | Phillip Wylie |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
Publication date | January 1943 |
Publication place | United States |
Generation of Vipers is a 1943 book by Philip Wylie. In it Wylie criticizes various aspects and beliefs of contemporary American society, including Christianity; prominent figures such as politicians, teachers, and doctors; [1] and "momism" or the adoration of mothers.
Wylie wrote the book in Miami Beach, Florida beginning on May 12, 1942 and ending on July 4, 1942; he felt disillusioned after having a job with the U.S. government providing information about World War II. The book was published in January 1943. [2]
By 1955, the book had twenty printings and a new edition came out. [3]
Mike Wallace stated in his 1957 interview of Wylie that many viewers had criticized Wylie's conclusions about mothers, and Wylie responded by stating that he was only talking about a certain type of mother. [1]
In 2005, Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post argued that the book had not aged well in his second reading; he had first read the book in the 1960s. [2]