This introduction to American literature and culture from 1900 to 1960 is organized around four major ideas about America: that is it "big", "new", "rich", and "free".
- Illustrates the artistic and social climate in the USA during this period.
- Juxtaposes discussion of history, popular culture, literature and other art forms in ways that foster discussion, questioning, and continued study.
- An appendix lists relevant primary and secondary works, including websites.
- An ideal supplement to primary texts taught in American literature courses.
Say "America" and certain adjectives come readily to mind. Because of the nation's wealth, energy, and global presence during the twentieth century, almost everyone has a view of America. This introduction to American literature and culture addresses four common conceptions of the United States: that it is "big," "rich," "new," and "free." Designed to illustrate the artistic and social climate in the USA from 1900 to 1960, the book discusses a range of artistic and cultural productions from the period that reinforce, revise, dispute, or deny these commonly held views of the country.
Each of the book's four sections begins with a series of quotations from literary and other sources of the period, selected to emphasize a range of ideas about America. Within each section, history, popular culture, literature, and other art forms are then juxtaposed in a way that fosters discussion, questioning, and continued study. An appendix to the volume includes a list of primary works for further reading and a selective bibliography of secondary works on American literature and culture, including relevant websites. The book also features a timeline of the chief events -- political, social, and artistic.
