Gold Standard

The subjects of these two books basically belonged to the same generation. Philip Rahv (1908–73) and Michael Gold (1894–1967) shared origins in the Jewish lower class, and rose to literary prominence during the Great Depression. But from the perspective of posterity, what especially links their name...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of American studies Vol. 57; no. 1
Main Author WHITFIELD, STEPHEN J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.02.2023
Subjects
American literature
Autopsies
Biographies
Communism
Economic depression
Exlusive Review Essay
Great Depression
Jewish people
Lewis, Harry Sinclair (1885-1951)
London, Jack (1876-1916)
Lower class
Nobel prizes
Novels
Poetry
Political parties
Short stories
Sinclair, Upton Beall (1878-1968)
Social classes
Twain, Mark (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) (1835-1910)
Victorian period
Wilder, Thornton (1897-1975)
Working class
Writers
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Summary:The subjects of these two books basically belonged to the same generation. Philip Rahv (1908–73) and Michael Gold (1894–1967) shared origins in the Jewish lower class, and rose to literary prominence during the Great Depression. But from the perspective of posterity, what especially links their names is the notion of “proletarian literature.” In novels and short stories, in sketches and poetry, in drama and reportage, the writers who generally accepted this label repudiated the genteel tradition that had crested in the late Victorian era. To be sure, that decorous era of belles lettres had always been contested. It had its outliers – most famously Mark Twain. The list of those who troubled the taste of the era also included, among younger writers, the barely housebroken Theodore Dreiser and Jack London.
ISSN:0021-8758
1469-5154
DOI:10.1017/S002187582200024X