
The 1930s was a very important decade in American literature. American literary giants like John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Margaret Mitchell, and F. Scott Fitzgerald published works during this period. The Great Depressions era literature was often blunt and direct in its social criticism.
Full Answer
What kind of literature was there during the Great Depression?
The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939 by John Steinbeck was a powerful and realistic work that was a kind of literature that was there during the time of the Great Depression. What were some important literary works during the Great Depression? Some of the important literature work present during the Great Depression are:
What happened to writers during the Great Depression?
The Great Depression (1929–41), the most severe economic crisis the nation had ever experienced, was no exception. Talented writers produced an array of books. Some, following their own interests and passions, wrote without much regard to the conditions surrounding them in the 1930s.
What was the economic effect of the Great Depression on literature?
In consideration of the economic effect of Depression on literature, there wasn’t any serious effect or impact on literature, however, the economy being the central focus, much of literary works are focused on the economical issues.
Who are some famous people who were in the 1930s?
Proletarian themes became a hallmark of Depression-era literature. Several proletarian writers of the 1930s went on to fame, including John Dos Passos (1896–1970), James T. Farrell (1904–1979), Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987), Richard Wright (1908–1960), and John Steinbeck (1902–1968).
What literature was present during the Great Depression?
What was the impact of the end of World War 1 on literature?
What was the main focus of the 20s?
What was the limelight of literature during that time?
What were the two major events that influenced the state of literature during the initial phase of depression?
What was the hallmark of literature during the depression era?
What does literature represent?
See 2 more

Who are the writers of the Great Depression era?
Several proletarian writers of the 1930s went on to fame, including John Dos Passos (1896–1970), James T. Farrell (1904–1979), Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987), Richard Wright (1908–1960), and John Steinbeck (1902–1968).
Who is the most famous author of the Great Depression?
John Steinbeck, in full John Ernst Steinbeck, (born February 27, 1902, Salinas, California, U.S.—died December 20, 1968, New York, New York), American novelist, best known for The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which summed up the bitterness of the Great Depression decade and aroused widespread sympathy for the plight of ...
Who were some of the prominent authors of the time 1930s?
That would be an interesting debate. What is this? To give male authors of that era their due, some of the names on the 1930s lists include Aldous Huxley, Thornton Wilder, Sinclair Lewis, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck, and George Santayana.
What happened to literature during the Great Depression?
Literature in the 1930s provided an escape from the trials of everyday life for most people. Because of the Great Depression (an economic depression) and the resulting poverty and uncertainty it left in most American lives, many people looked to works of fiction to entertain them.
Who was the most famous author in the 1930s?
Famous Writers of the 1930'sJohn Steinbeck. 1902-1968.Most Famous Writers. of the 1930's.Theodor Seuss Geisel. A.K.A "Dr. Seuss" 1904-1991.W. Somerset Maugham. 1874-1965.
What were some themes common to Depression Era literature?
Literary arts during the Depression featured the common themes of struggle and hope for a better future, and characters reflected some of the issues and characteristics of their unique time.
What literature was popular in the 1930s?
A Century of Reading: The 10 Books That Defined the 1930sDashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (1930) ... Pearl S. ... Irma S. ... Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932) ... Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis (1937 (first single-volume English translation)) ... Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind (1936) ... Djuna Barnes, Nightwood (1936)More items...•
What literary movement was in the 1930?
Literature of the 1930s continued to enlarge the meaning of earlier movements toward realism and modernism. Realism was an attempt to show life as it really was—its cruelties, problems, harsh conditions, sorrows, as well as its joys and successes.
Who is known as the greatest writer?
Best Writers of All TimeWilliam Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet, Julius Ceaser, As You Like It, Othello, Hamlet)Leo Tolstoy (War & Peace, Anna Karenina)Homer (The Odyssey, The Illiad)Fyodor Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, Demons)More items...•
How were publishers impacted by the Great Depression during the 20th century?
question. During the Great Depression, the publishers developed some strategies to sell their products, which made them to sustain in the market. The publishers developed some strategies to sell their products. 19th-century periodicals serialized famous novels, which gave birth to a particular way of writing novels.
What was the literary movement in the 1940s?
Modernism is a period in literary history which started around the early 1900s and continued until the early 1940s.
How did people survive the Great Depression?
To save money, families neglected medical and dental care. Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles. Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat.
Who was the most famous person in the 1930s?
Roosevelt. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) was the 32nd President of the United States and the only chief executive to be elected to more than two terms in office. Roosevelt held the presidency from 1934 to 1945, leading the United States through the Great Depression and World War II.
Who were important figures in the Great Depression?
Famous people of the Great DepressionFranklin D Roosevelt (1882–1945) Roosevelt was elected the US President in 1932 with a promise to do something about the economic impact of the Great Depression. ... John Maynard Keynes. ... Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) Wife and political aide of American president F.D.Roosevelt.More items...•
Who was the richest person during the Great Depression?
By half decadeYearName1930Andrew Mellon19351940Henry Ford194547 more rows
Who made money from the Great Depression?
Not everyone, however, lost money during the worst economic downturn in American history. Business titans such as William Boeing and Walter Chrysler actually grew their fortunes during the Great Depression.
Great five books of the Great Depression | Temple Now
John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath (1939) is not the only Depression-era work worth taking a second (or a first) look at from our current perspective in what some are calling the New Depression.
impact on american literature during The Great Depression
Name of Student Name of Supervisor Subject Code Date Impact on American Literature During the Great Depression United States was hit hard by the blow of great Depression in around 1929.
The Great Depression (201 books) - Goodreads
201 books based on 75 votes: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Cannery Row b...
What is the most unpleasant thing you have ever experienced?
“Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced...It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but it's a healthy feeling. It is a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different.”
What was Paul Verlaine's life like?
Paul Verlaine was a tormented soul; the Poetry Foundation describes him, generously, as "emotionally unstable." Verlaine was highly celebrated in his lifetime, but his success brought him little peace: he had stormy love affairs, including the famous (and violent) one with Rimbaud; he had bouts of drug abuse and alcoholism, and suffered a lot of personal losses, eventually dying in poverty in 1896.
What is the book Giovanni's Room about?
But this searingly clear description of a suicidal urge comes from his semi-autobiographical novella Giovanni's Room, based loosely on a relationship Baldwin had with a Swiss man in Paris. Baldwin himself was deeply depressed and unsuccessfully tried to end his own life numerous times, before dying of cancer in 1987.
What is James Baldwin's first novel?
James Baldwin was one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th century, from his essay collection Notes Of A Native Son to his first novel Go Tell It On The Mountain. But this searingly clear description of a suicidal urge comes from his semi-autobiographical novella Giovanni's Room, based loosely on a relationship Baldwin had with a Swiss man in Paris. Baldwin himself was deeply depressed and unsuccessfully tried to end his own life numerous times, before dying of cancer in 1987.
What happened to Verlaine?
Verlaine was highly celebrated in his lifetime, but his success brought him little peace: he had stormy love affairs, including the famous (and violent) one with Rimbaud; he had bouts of drug abuse and alcoholism, and suffered a lot of personal losses, eventually dying in poverty in 1896. 5.
When did David Foster Wallace die?
When David Foster Wallace took his own life in 2008, it was a terrible shock.But his frequent, candid writing on the subject of depression — from the novel Infinite Jest to his celebrated essays — hinted at Wallace's struggles throughout his career.
Who said "In the morning I had a look so lost, a face so dead, that perhaps those whom?
Arthur Rimbaud. “In the morning I had a look so lost, a face so dead, that perhaps those whom I met did not see me.”. — Une Saison En Enfer. Rimbaud was a 19th century poetic prodigy whose tempestuous relationship with the poet Paul Verlaine inspired Verlaine to try and shoot him.
What was Guthrie's song about?
He wrote about the people's migration westward, the same subject Steinbeck wrote about in The Grapes of Wrath. Guthrie also wrote a set of twenty-six songs about the Pacific Northwest in mid-1941. Several excerpts of Guthrie's lyrics are reprinted near the end of this chapter. Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library.
What is the book Grapes of Wrath about?
An example of excellent proletarian literature, The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family whose farm is destroyed by ...
What is the story behind the tobacco road?
Caldwell's Tobacco Road (1932) describes the poverty of a Southern tenant farming family whose lives become desperate as the Depression closes in. The story was made into a play that ran on Broadway in New York City for years. In 1933 Caldwell published God's Little Acre, which also tells the story of a poor family.
What are proletarian books?
Others crafted books that revealed much about Americans caught in the economic devastation of the Depression; these socially aware books are known as proletarian (working-class) ...
What was the Great Depression?
Literature and Songs of the Great Depression. Every period of U.S. history has produced unique varieties of American literature. The Great Depression (1929–41), the most severe economic crisis the nation had ever experienced, was no exception. Talented writers produced an array of books.
When did John Steinbeck write his first book?
He published a collection of four short stories, Uncle Tom 's Children, in 1938; his first novel, Native Son, appeared in 1940. He also published nonfiction, including Twelve Million Black Voices in 1941. John Steinbeck wrote a number of decidedly proletarian novels in the 1930s.
What were the songs of the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz?
Uplifting tunes included "Happy Days Are Here Again," a 1932 presidential campaign song; "We're in the Money," from the musical Gold Diggers of 1933; and "Over the Rainbow," from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. Songs of protest also emerged, including "Beans, Bacon, and Gravy" and "Soup Song.".
What was Virginia Woolf's most popular book?
Virginia Woolf's 1933 "biography" of Elizabeth Barret Browning's dog was touted in Publishers Weekly: "Certain to be [Woolf's] most popular book."
What was the name of the dog in Marley and Me?
There's a furry precursor to the vampire mania of today lurking in an April 1933 best-seller called The Werewolf of Paris, and even a couple of canine ancestors of Marley and Me: The dog starring as Elizabeth Barrett Browning's spaniel, Flu sh, in the 1930s Broadway play The Barretts of Wimpole Street is depicted in a Sept. 2 photo spread putting his paw to a contract for a fictional memoir.
What poster encourages Americans to crack open the books you've always meant to read?
Above, a Works Progress Administration poster from the late 1930s encourages Americans to crack open "the books you've always meant to read.". Publishers Weekly reported in 1933 that book readership was up during the Great Depression.
What was the difference between chick lit and women in the 1930s?
Women, then as now, were turning to chick lit, with the crucial difference being that many of the 1930s plots featured plucky young women whose family fortunes had taken a nose dive. Faith Baldwin's novel White Collar Girl was deemed "a circulation ace" in May of 1933.
How many pages were there in Anthony Adverse?
But there were also a plethora of hard-luck male extreme adventure tales published in the early 1930s, like Mutiny on the Bounty; Kenneth Roberts' Revolutionary War potboiler, Rabble in Arms; and one of the biggest best-sellers of 1933, Anthony Adverse, which weighed in at over 1,000 pages.
When did the book readership increase?
Publishers Weekly reported in 1933 that book readership was up during the Great Depression. Above, a Works Progress Administration poster from the late 1930s encourages Americans to crack open "the books you've always meant to read.".
Who wrote Counter-Attack?
No doubt male readers were the target audience for the many economic primers of the time, such as Counter-Attack, written by Maryland Sen. Millard E. Tydings and touted as "a bold, sound, feasible plan" to end the Depression.
Where did Bunyan write a pilgrim's progress?
Bunyan wrote ‘A Pilgrim’s Progress’ in Bedford Prison where he spent many years! Buckinghamshire. Chalfont St. Giles is where JOHN MILTON wrote ‘Paradise Lost’ and his cottage is now a museum, open to the public. Cheshire.
Which county in England has a literary giant?
Nearly every county of England can claim a ‘literary giant’ who has lived within their boundaries. Bedfordshire. Elstow in Bedfordshire is the birthplace of JOHN BUNYAN. There is a Bunyan Museum adjoining the Meeting House in Bedford. Bunyan wrote ‘A Pilgrim’s Progress’ in Bedford Prison where he spent many years!
Where is the Cheshire cat buried?
Mrs Gaskell, the author of ‘Cranford’, lived at Kingsford, Cheshire and is buried there. Cornwall.
Where is Shakespeare's house in Warwickshire?
Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire is of course WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ‘s town and his house, as well as those of his mother and his wife, are open to the public. The famous Shakespeare Theatre can be found in the town. Warwickshire can also claim MARY ANN EVANS, who used the name GEORGE ELIOT for her novels.
Where is the grave of Lord Byron?
At Hucknall in Nottinghamshire can be found the grave of LORD BYRON. His family were refused permission to bury him in Westminster Abbey so he is interred with his ancestors.
Where did Charles Dickens live?
Kingsley wrote ‘The Water Babies’ and while living in Bideford, Devon wrote part of ‘Westward Ho!’. Old Commercial Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire is the birthplace of CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870). Dickens lived here for just 5 months before moving away from the Portsmouth area altogether as a small child.
Where did Jane Austen live?
JANE AUSTEN lived in Chawton, Hampshire. Her novels ‘Emma’, ‘Mansfield Park’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Persuasion’ were written there and she spent most of her life in Chawton. Another Hampshire resident was CHARLES KINGSLEY who is buried at Eversley. He was the rector there from 1847 – 1875.
What literature was present during the Great Depression?
Some of the important literature work present during the Great Depression are: Let us now praise famous men by James Agee and Walker Evans. Miss Lonelyhearts and The day of Locust by Nathaniel West. Come back to Sorrento by Dawn Powell. They shoot horses, don’t they by Horace McCoy.
What was the impact of the end of World War 1 on literature?
The end of world war one which is believed to be the war to end all kinds of wars placed major influences on the development of literature during the time of great depression. The limelight of literature during that time was the aftermath or consequences of the world war.
What was the main focus of the 20s?
In the twenties, the major focus or the topic that was of main interest are media, industry, media etc. There was also a boom in the fiction works and interest in literature.
What was the limelight of literature during that time?
The limelight of literature during that time was the aftermath or consequences of the world war. Roaring twenties. It is believed to be the long-lasting economic boom ever in the history of weather countries. This major event in the history of America also places a major influence on the growth of literature work.
What were the two major events that influenced the state of literature during the initial phase of depression?
Two major events that influence the state of literature during the initial phase of depression are: The end of world war one which is believed to be the war to end all kinds of wars placed major influences on the development of literature during the time of great depression.
What was the hallmark of literature during the depression era?
The theme that they develop and propagate became the hallmark of literature during the depression era.
What does literature represent?
It represents the tradition as well as the culture of a particular group of people or a language. Literature provides a blueprint about human society. Gives insight and context about the world’s society. It serves to provide an experience of introduction to a new world.
