Erick Larson’s The Devil in the White City elicited a lively discussion from the Beaufort Book Club. First we watched about ten minutes of the DVD Expo: Magic of the White City. The introduction to the film showed contemporary photos and art of the Columbia Exposition of 1893. We also looked at some still photos of the Fair and discussed what happened to the originals and what remained of the Fair today.
The first question we tackled was in what way Daniel Burnham, the talented and driven architect of the Fair was like H. H. Holmes the “devil” serial killer. We decided that both were determined and creative, Burnham in his vision of the Fair and Holmes in the way he lured and disposed of his victims.
We then discussed the dream-like atmosphere of the Fair. Participants decided that the choice of white paint for the buildings surrounding the Court of Honor waterway and the massive size of buildings, fountains, and sculpture gave the fair that unreal quality. Various members noted the contrast between the clean, white fairgrounds and the smelly, stockyard-dominated
Enumerating the innovations introduced at the Fair was a fun exercise. They included: spray paint to ready the buildings quickly, massive public lighting using Westinghouse’s alternating current that set the standard down to the present, the building of the first ever Ferris wheel, the introduction of Cracker Jacks, and the popularity of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer that won medals at the Fair that are reproduced on the label to this day.
Participants also discussed the structure of the book. We approved of the author’s use of short chapters alternating between the actions of the murderer and those of the Fair’s creators. Brenda read some descriptions in lyrical language that approximated the use of language in 1893 when letter-writing and elaborate speech-making were in vogue.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, December 13 at 6:00 PM. The one time change to the 2nd Thursday and the later time was due to holiday activities. We will meet in the second floor lobby to discuss Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness. The discussion will be lead by David. This meeting is free and open to the public.
