Marxism and culture : the CPUSA and aesthetics in the 1930s

168 Pages·1980·8.127 MB·English

by  Lawrence H. Schwartz

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MARXISM AND CULTURE
Kennikat Press
National University Publications
Literary Criticism Series
General Editor
John E. Becker
Fairleigh Dickinson University
MARXISM
and
CULTURE
The CPUSA and Aesthetics
in the 1930s
LAWRENCE H. SCHWARTZ
National University Publications
KENNIKAT PRESS /
Port Washington a¢uine
i POLYTECHNIC
HIRDAPY
To Beverly
Copyright © 1980 by Kennikat Press Corp. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the publisher,
Manufactured in the United States of America
Published by
Kennikat Press Corp.
Port Washington, N.Y./ London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Schwartz, Lawrence H, 1947—-
Marxism and culture.
(National university publications)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
NORTH 1. Communism and culture—United States.
SHIRE 2. Communist aesthetics. 3. Communist Party of the
STAFFORDSHIRE United States. 4. Communism—United States—1917-
POLYTECHNIC HX5 23.845 335 .43°0973 79-18972
ISBN 0-8046-9255-6
00293280
CONTENTS
PREFACE vii
INTRODUCTION 3
PART I: SOVIET SOCIALIST REALISM
1. THE STALIN MYTH AND SOVIET CULTURE 15
2. FROM PROLETARIANISM TO SOVIET
SOCIALIST REALISM 27
3. SOVIET SOCIALIST REALISM AND THE CPUSA:
The View From America 40
PART TWO: THE CPUSA AND CULTURE IN THE 1930s
4. AMERICAN INTELLECTUALS AND THE PARTY 51
5. INTELLECTUALS AND THE PARTY LINE
6. THE POLITICS OF THE PARTY LINE IN THE 1930s 69
7. THE PROLETARIAN PHASE IN AMERICA 80
'8. THE AESTHETICS OF THE POPULAR FRONT 86
PART THREE: MARXIST AESTHETIC THEORY
9. AN ANALYSIS 97
NOTES 123
BIBLIOGRAPHY 139
INDEX 145
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lawrence H. Schwartz is an assistant professor of
English at Montclair State College in Montclair,
New Jersey. He is the author of various articles in
The Nation, Polit, and the New York Times.