Literature in the Nineteen Thirtiesdocdeflate.docx
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Literature in the Nineteen Thirtiesdocdeflate.docx
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LiteratureintheNineteenThirtiesdocdeflate
LiteratureintheNineteenThirties
Intheearlythirties,thefirstreactiontotheDepressionwasaliteratureofsocialprotest.TherewasapowerfulMarxist“ProletarianLiterature”movement.Themainintellectualmagazineoftheerawasthepro-MarxistPartisanReview,editedbyJewishintellectualsinNewYork.MichaelGold(1896-1967),editoroftheCommunistpaperTheNewMasses(1930)asamodelforother“Proletarian”writers.Itdescribestheterriblerealityofhisboyhoodworld:
thedirtystreetsandpoorhouses,thegangsters,prostitutesandfactorieswithawfulworkingconditions.
Gold’snovelwasalsothestartofthe“Jewish-American”novel,whichbecameanimportanttypeofliteratureinfiftiesandsixties.Golddescribesthefailureofthe“AmericanDream”forthosewhohadleftEuropelookingforanewandbetterlife.ThissoonbecameamainthemeofJewish-Americanliterature.CallitSleep(1935),byHenryRoth,mixesMarxistandFreudiantheory,JewishmythologyandaStream-of-consciousnesswritingstyle.HedescribesayoungboygrowingupinapoorareaofNewYork.Itis“aworldthathadbeencreatedwithoutthoughtofhim”.
TheworkofJohnSteinbeck(1902-1968)representstheattemptto“getitalldownonpaper”.Inthethirties,hischaracterswere“naturalistic”intheclassicmeaningoftheword.Weseethemdrivenbyforcesinthemselvesandinsociety:
fear,hunger,sex,thedisastersofnatureandtheevilsofCapitalism.Crimeisoftentheresultoftheseforces.Steinbeckevendescribes“innocentmurders”—byLennietheidiotinOfMiceandMen(1937),andbyabetrayedhusbandinTheLongValley(1938).Inallofhisnovels,Steinbeckcombinesanaturalisticwayoflookingatthingswithadeepsympathyforpeopleandthehumancondition.Wefeelthathereallydoeslovehumanity.Steinbeck’sbookssearchfortheelementsinhumannaturewhicharecommontoallpeople.Heusuallyfindstheminthefamily,thegroupandthenation,ratherthantheindividual.
Likesomeotherwritersinthethirties(DosPassosandThomasWolf,forexample)Steinbeckoftentriedtopaintlargeportraitsofthe“nationalspirit”.Todothis,hecombinedmythwithhisnaturalism.Tohim“westering”(themovementtotheAmericanWest)hadgreatsignificanceasanAmericanmyth.
InTheGrapesofWrath(1939),Steinbeck’sfinestnovel,thecharactersare“largerthanlife”.Heisnotsimplydescribingtheexperiencesofasinglefamilyofindividuals.Heisreallytellingthestoryofagreatnationaltragedythroughtheexperiencesofthatonefamily.TheJoads,afamilyoffarmers,mustleaveOklahomabecauseofthegreat“dustbowl”disaster.Terriblewindshavedestroyedtheirland.TheygowestintoCaliforniaandworkasfruitpickers.There,theyexperiencethehatredandviolenceofthelargeCalifornialandowners.Steinbeck’sdescriptionofthissocialinjusticeshockedthenation.Intime,lawswerepassedtohelppeopleliketheJoads.Buttheliteraryinterestofthebookisinitsdescriptionsofthedailyheroismofordinarypeople.Slowly,theylearntoworktogetherasagroup,andhelpeachother.InherthickOklahomaaccent,MaJoadexplains:
“Use’tabethefamblywasfust.Itain’tsonow.It’sanybody.”This“anybody”comestoincludeallofhumanity.ThisisthemeaningofdaughterRosaharn’sactattheendofthebook.Whenherownbabydies,shefeedsherbreastmilktoadyingoldman.Tosomecritics,thislastsceneistoosentimental.SentimentalisminvariousformsisseenasaweaknessofmanyofSteinbeck’snovels.
TheuseofmythicalelementsislesssuccessfulinEastofEden(1952).IttellsthestoryofafamilyfromtheCivilWartoWorldWarI.Here,SteinbeckuseshisnaturalisticstyletocreateamodernstorybasedontheBiblestoryaboutthebrothersCainandAbel.Thebookbecamefamousasamovie,starringJamesDean.In1960,Steinbecktraveledthroughsmall-townAmericawithhisdog,Charley.Thebookhewroteaboutthis,TravelswithCharley(1962),isfilledwithhisownpersonalTranscendentalism.Itisaquietbookwhichexpressestheunityofalllivingcreatures,Inthesameyear,1962,SteinbeckreceivedtheNobelPrizeforLiterature.
LiteratureintheFortiesandFifties
WhenWorldWarIIstartedinEuropein1939,mostAmericanswantedtostayoutofit.“Americafirst!
”wasapopularphraseatthetime.PeoplefeltthatAmericashouldworryaboutitsownproblemsandforgettherestoftheworld.TheJapaneseattackonPearlHarbor(onDecember7,1941)changedallthat.By1945,Americawasaworldpowerwithhugeinternationalresponsibilities.ThismadeAmericansbothproudandextremelyuncomfortable.
WorldWarIIproducedalargenumberofwarnovels,manyofthemquitegood.ThebestnovelsofWorldWarIhadbeethe“experimental”worksofFaulkner,DosPassosande.e.cummings.ThoseofWorldWarII,however,belongtothenaturalistictradition.Usuallytheyshowtheuglinessandhorrorofwarinarealisticmanner.Theyarenaturalisticbecausetheystudytheeffectofwaronsoldiersandonordinarypeople.Althoughthenovelistshatewarmtheyrarelyshowanyparticularkindof“politicalconsciousness”.Likemostwritersinthefortiesandfifties,theywerenolongerinterestedintheLeftistideologiesofthethirties.Hiroshima(1946),byJohnHersey(b.1914),tellsthetruestoriesofsixJapanesepeoplewhoexperiencedthedestructionoftheircitybytheatomicbomb.Herseywritesinanewspaper-likestyle,withoutopinionoremotion.Theterriblefactsthemselvescreatepowerfulemotionsinthereader.GuardofHonor(1948)byJamesJones(1921-1977)bothlookatthebadeffectsofarmylifeonthemindsofsoldiers.OtherimportantwarnovelsincludeWilliwaw(1946)byGoreVidal,TheGallery(1947)byJohnHorneBurns,TheYoungLions(1948)byIrwinShaw,TheNakedandtheDead(1948)byNormanMailerandTheCaineMutiny(1951)byHermanWouk.
Afterthewar,Americaenteredan“AgeofAnxiety”.ThepoliticsofAmericawereinfluencedbytwogreatfears.First,therewasthefearoftheBomb;manyAmericansweresuretherewouldbeawarwiththeSovietUnionsuingatomicbombs.Also,inthelatefortiesandearlyfifties,fearofCommunismbecameanationalsickness.SenatorJosephMcCarthyoftenappearedontelevision,tellingAmericansthatAmericanCommunistsweredestroyingthenation.Heledthecountryona“witchhunt”against“Communist”intellectuals,writersandHollywoodfigures.McCarthyseriouslyhurtthelivesandcareersofmanyAmericanswhowerenotreallyCommunists.
Americanauthorsinthefiftiesshowthattheyareveryuncomfortableinthepost-warworld.Thenewpoliticalfears(ofCommunismandtheBomb)arelessimportanttothemthantheirownpsychologicalproblemsinthenewAmericansociety.Itisnotaperiodofimportantexperimentsinstyle.Rather,themostinterestingauthorsaredevelopingnewandimportantthemes.Manywritersinthisperiodtrytofindnewanswerstotheoldquestion,“WhoamI?
”ManyblackAmericanandJewish-Americanwritersfindtheanswerbylookingattheirownculturalandracialbackgrounds.Othersexploretheideasofmodernphilosophyandpsychology.Theyoung“Beat”writersuseOrientalreligionforthesamepurpose.ThenewwritersoftheSouth,however,seemalittleless“modern”.Intheirwork,westillfeelthesad,heavyweightofthepast.Thecentralthemeoftheirwork,however,isoftenlonelinessand“thesearchfortheself”.Thismakestheirworkdeeplyinterestingtomodernreaderseverywhere.
InthefortiesandfiftiestheSouthcontinuedtoproducesomeofthefinestAmericanwriters.AnewgenerationjoinedFaulknerandtheFugitivewritersina“SouthernRenaissance”.LikeFaulkner,EudoraWelty(b.1909)wroteaboutMississippi.HerdescriptionoftheMississippicountrysideinthenovelDeltaWedding(1946)givesthefeelingofarichandsunnyland.Welty’sinterestinmythisfamous.Onthesurface,herwritingisrealistic.Butsheoftengivesusthefeelingthatthereisanotherworldbehindtheonesheisdescribing.Hercollectionofconnectedshortstories,TheGoldenApple(1949),usesmanyelementsfromGreekmythology.
Thesurfacestoryinhermuch-admiredshortstoryDeathofaTravellingSalesman(1936)isaboutasalesmanwholoseshisway“onaroadwithoutsignposts”inbackwoodsMississippi.Hespendsthenightwithsomesimplecountrypeople.Thenextmorning,Bowmanleavesthem.Standingallaloneontheroad,hediesofheartattack.ManyofWelty’scharactersliveanddiealone.Theydon’tunderstandeitherlifeorthemselves.Occasinally,asinDeltaWedding,individualsdolearnanimportantlessonaboutlife:
liveitdaybyday.
FlanneryO’connor(1925-1964)wasanotherSouthernwriterwhosefictionsuggeststherealityof“anotherworld”.InO’connor’scase,thisotherworldappearstobeconnectedtoherRomanCatholicism.Forher,“thecentreofexistenceistheHolyGhost”.Butsherarelydiscussesreligiondirectly.Thisisbecause“myaudiencearethepeoplewhothinkGodisdead.Atleastthesearethepeople.Iamconsciousofwritingfor”Onthesurface,herstoriesandnovelsarefilledwithhorribleeventsandgrotesquecharacters.Thismakeshertypicalofthe“SouthernGothic”schoolofwriting.Therearemurderers,hatersandmadmen.Theeventsandpeoplearealmostalwayspartofareligiousallegory.
InAGoodManIsHardtoFind(1955),hermostfamousshortstory,aSouthernfamily–parents,childrenandgrandmother–aremurderedbycriminals.Beforesheiskilled,thegrandmothertalkstooneofthemurderersaboutGod.Sheseesthathe,too,isonethechildrenofGod.TheViolentBearItAway(1960)alsohasmanyterribl
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