V. Literature and Art (to be addressed more fully on Wednesday)

A. Literature of early depression pessimistic (Nathanael West)

B. Later depression literature more purposeful, optimistic (John Steinbeck)

C. Proletarian literature

1. Meridel LeSueur

2.dramatizes themes evident in other cultural domains:

a. shades of social revolution

b. preoccupation with manhood and its consequences for women

c. relative inattention to problems of other social groups

V. Conclusion: Comparison across cultural domains enriches our understanding of American cultural life

A. Looking at a variety of cultural forms helps us to appreciate each independently

B. Looking at cultural forms such as literature and film allow us to focus on representational practices

C. Focusing on representation, in turn, helps us to see how complex economic and political problems of a given moment are worked out in ways we might not otherwise imagine

1. problems of depression worked out on terrain of gender

a. this is somewhat evident in the political rhetoric

b. but it becomes powerfully clear in the films and literature of the period

2. problems worked out in ways that marginalize other social groups