✐✎✐ Other Authors of the 1940s ✎✐✎

Although Arthur Miller's works sometimes ended on a depressing note, some authors of the 1940s made it their mission to spread hope through their literature.  Popular novelist William Saroyan authored a book called The Human Comedy, a story of a family that finds joy amid the heartache of World War II.

Another book written in the 1940s that's still widely read today, is George Orwell's Animal Farm.  I read this book recently; it's really fascinating.  It's an allegory, or political satire, criticizing the Russian revolution, showing the deception and corruption within the government, and how ordinary people are made to suffer to benefit the wealthy and elite.

One more book published in the '40s is The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank.  Written during the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, this book gives an accurate personal testimony of the horrors of World War II, from the perspective of Anne Frank, a young girl who hid from the Nazis for 2 years while writing this book in her journal.

✯✯✯ 1940s Politics ✯✯✯

The 1940s included Pearl Harbor, the atomic bombings, World War II, and the Holocaust.  Needless to say, politicians in the United States had their work cut out for them.  The two presidents who served during the '40s, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman, had their hands full keeping the troops supplied, managing public relations, keeping those on the home front encouraged and optimistic, and fighting and recovering from World War II.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (served 1933-1945)

Harry S Truman (Served 1945-1953)

♬ ♫ ♪ ♩Music in the 1940s♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

In the 1940s, the types of popular music changed significantly.  Jazz remained popular as it had been for decades before, but the genres of Pop and Country both became widely listened to and widely enjoyed. 
Although Jazz had been popular for years, new songs and artists were constantly adding to the mix.  Here's a song called "Autumn Leaves", by Jazz singer Edith Pilaf:
❦Autumn Leaves❦

Pop songs rose in appeal to the people of the 1940s.  There were pop songs about love, pop music about the joy of living in America, and especially, pop songs about Christmas.  Click here to listen to a pop song by artist Irving Berlin, titled "White Christmas":
❄❄White Christmas❄❄

Bill Monroe was a hugely successful Country singer in the 1940s.  Even 20 years later, he performed often.  Here is a video from 1980, of Monroe performing a signature song, "Blue Moon of Kentucky":

$$$ 1940s Economy $$$

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 catapulted not only the U.S., but also its economy, into war mode.  Although food and resources were often limited, the war actually created thousands of jobs, so unemployment was almost never a problem for people living in the '40s.  As shown in the chart at right, military jobs were created, but the demand for mechanics and factory workers exploded also.  However, with all metal, extra food, and other materials going overseas to the soldiers, things like automobiles, construction materials, and anything made of rubber, aluminum, or lead, were extremely hard to come by for the Americans on the home front.
So, although unemployment all but vanished, the economy as a whole still suffered due to World War II.

??? Who was Arthur Miller ???

Arthur Asher Miller, author of the play Death of a Salesman, lived from 1915-2005.  He was born in Harlem, New York, but went to college in Michigan.  For a brief time, Arthur Miller was married to - but soon divorced by - Marilyn Monroe. 

Arthur Miller wrote several productions for the stage, including The Man Who Had All the Luck (1940), All My Sons (1947), and The Crucible (1953).  Regarding his creative genius, Miller is known for quoting,

"The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds came home to roost."

Miller's plays always concerned weighty social matters, like family dynamics, ethics conflicting with the desire to succeed, and misconceptions about the American Dream.  Miller died at age 89 of heart failure, leaving behind his 19 radio plays, 4 screenplays and 35 stage plays.

✐✎✐ Other "Great" Writers of the '20s ✎✐✎

F. Scott Fitzgerald was a noteworthy author of his time, but he was not alone in that regard.  Several other novelists led successful careers during the 1920s.

Agatha Christie

   1) Agatha Christie (who lived 1890-1976) was hugely popular for her scores of mystery/crime thrillers.  She also wrote romances, but under an alias.  Her most widely read work of fiction was Murder on the Orient Express, a story about a man murdered on a train by thirteen friends and family members.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Agatha Christie is the most popular novelist in history so far, selling over 4 billion books. 

Ernest Hemingway

   2) Ernest Hemingway (who lived 1899-1961) wrote multiple short stories, poems, and novels during and after the 1920s.  One of his most famous works written in the '20s is the love story The Sun Also Rises, about bull fighters and the people of Paris.
   3) Sinclair Lewis (who lived 1885-1951) was a Minnesota novelist and playwright who was good at depicting strong female characters in his works.  He is most famous for his novel Main Street, published in 1920.  It tells the story of a rich woman who moves to a country town, and does her best to improve the town in social ways.  However, the cliques and prejudices of the small village prove too strong, so in the end she moves back to her hometown.

Sinclair Lewis

✯✯✯ 1920s Politics ✯✯✯

America was led by 4 different presidents over the course of the 1920s.

Woodrow Wilson - 1913 to 1921

Warren G Harding - 1921 to 1923

 

Calvin Coolidge - 1923 to 1929

Herbert Hoover - 1929 to 1933

During their terms, these men all focused on social and cultural issues, since the nation was so tired of war.  They each did their best to keep America at peace in relation to the rest of the globe.

♬ ♫ ♪ ♩Music in the 1920s♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

Around the time of the Great Gatsby, the types of music that were popular began to change dramatically!  Jazz, Blues, and Swing music suddenly became popular and along with them came scores of new artists, each with their own signature toe-tapping or heart-warming tunes. 
Jazz became popular in the 1920s because WWI had just ended, and people were finally ready to enjoy themselves again!  Some particularly famous Jazz musicians, such as "King" Oliver, composed songs that are still played often today, such as "Don't You Think I Love You?"
♪ ♬ Listen to "Don't You Think I Love You?" ♫ ♩

The first Blues song ever recorded came out in the 1920s.  "Crazy Blues", a song by well-known artist Mamie Smith, became a national sensation.
♫ ♬ Listen to "Crazy Blues" ♩ ♪

Just as jazz and blues songs were for listening, swing music was a type of jazz made just for dancing!  As dancing grew to be a more popular pastime, so did swing music.  A hugely popular swing dance was the Charleston!
Here's a video of the Charleston swing dance:

$$$ 1920s Economy $$$

The economic state of the U.S. in the 1920s was fairly positive.  World War I had just ended, and so after all the rationing and lack of resources, American life as usual was beginning to return.  As shown in the chart at right, the economy recovered rapidly from the early 1920s on.  This caused an increasing interest in leisure activities, parties, movies, and other events that cost money.  Air conditioning became a common feature of residential homes, instead of only businesses and theaters.  Without the war impeding travel, more people were interested in sightseeing, so America saw numerous improvements in the design of trains, planes, and automobiles.  As a whole, the 1920s were a time of discovery, comfort, and pushing the bounds of the unknown.  It was not until the 1930s that the Great Depression came and caused the economy to plummet once more.

?? Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald ??

A photo of Fitzgerald taken at Princeton

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in 1896, in St. Paul, Michigan.  As a teenager, he attended the Newman School in New Jersey, a selective and demanding institution that nurtured his enthusiasm for writing.  He went on to college at Princeton, where he decided to pursue writing as his future career.  During college, he wrote short stories for newspapers like the Princeton Tiger and the Nassau Literary Magazine.  After serving in the military, Fitzgerald finally settled down back in St. Paul and began his writing career in earnest.  He published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, and, enabled by the money brought in by book sales, married and started a family.  However, Fitzgerald didn't really know how to handle his new-found wealth, and spent most of it on parties, bars, and extravagant events.  He lost his respectable reputation as people saw him wasting his money and living wildly.  However, he was able to collect himself enough to write many more acclaimed short stories and several novels, including The Beautiful and Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), and Tender Is the Night (1934).  He died at age 44, in poor health after a lifetime of heavy drinking.  However, his legacy remains that of a brilliant writer, albeit one who just didn't know how to handle his success.

❋❋❋❋ Welcome! ❋❋❋❋

Hi, my name is Caitlin Brown, and I'm a student at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, MA.  This blog is going to be updated regularly throughout Fall '12, as part of an assignment for my Honors English Literature course at MCC!