Realism for the Masses: Aesthetics, Popular Front Pluralism, and U.S. Culture, 1935-1947

275 Pages·2009·1.96 MB·English

by  Chris Vials

Realism for the Masses
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Realism for the Masses
Aesthetics, Popular Front Pluralism,
1935 1947
and U.S. Culture, –
Chris Vials
University Press of Mississippi / Jackson
www.upress.state.ms.us
The University Press of Mississippi is a member
of the Association of American University Presses.
Copyright © 2009 by University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing 2009
¥
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vials, Chris.
Realism for the masses : aesthetics, popular front plural-
ism, and U.S. culture, 1935–1947 / Chris Vials.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60473-123-1 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Popular
culture—United States—History—20th century. 2. United
States—Civilization—1918–1945. 3. United States—Intellec-
tual life—20th century. 4. Liberalism—United States—His-
tory—20th century. 5. Cultural pluralism—United States—
History—20th century. 6. Cultural industries—United
States—History—20th century. 7. Aesthetics, American—
History—20th century. 8. Realism—Social aspects—United
States—History—20th century. 9. American literature—
20th century—History and criticism. I. Title.
E169.V6232009
973.91—dc22 2008034577
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
For Cathy
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Contents
ix Acknowledgments
xi INTRODUCTION. The People’s Form Finds Its Audience
Popular Front Realism and the Culture Industries
3 CHAPTER ONE. Taking Down the Great White Hope
The Popular Front Boxing Narrative
37 CHAPTER TWO. Radio Soaps, Broadway Lights
Lillian Hellman, Shirley Graham, and the Interpellation of Female Audiences
80 CHAPTER THREE. Realism with a Little Sex in It
Erskine Caldwell’s Challenge to Gone with the Wind
110 CHAPTER FOUR. Asian Yeoman and Ugly Americans
Carlos Bulosan, H. T. Tsiang, and the U.S. Literary Market
149 CHAPTER FIVE. The Popular Front in the American Century
Life Magazine, Margaret Bourke-White, and Partisan Objectivity
191 Notes
213 Works Cited
225 Index
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Acknowledgments
I owe a singular debt of gratitude to Seetha Srinivasan, Walter Biggins, and the
readers at University Press of Mississippi, not only for their insightful feedback
but for the faith they showed in my work from its very early stages. The sup-
port they have given me from the very beginning has been truly invaluable.
This book began as a dissertation, and I would like to thank everyone who
helped shape its foundations: Randall Knoper, whose kind, patient guidance
and insights on American realism were indispensable; Jim Smethurst, whose
encouragement, feedback, and knowledge of the Popular Front was essential to
this project; Jules Chametzky, who not only gave me the privilege of being his
last student, but who provided essential scholarly and experiential knowledge
of the 1930s and 1940s. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Kathy Peiss for her guid-
ance on chapter 5; her historian’s perspective challenged me to push my think-
ing, writing, and research harder. The day-to-day guidance of other mentors at
the University of Massachusetts–Amherst was essential, particularly that of Joe
Skerrett and Jenny Spencer. Judith Smith and Rachel Rubin of the American
Studies Department at the University of Massachusetts–Boston have also been
very supportive of my work. I also want to thank Cannon Schmitt at Criticism
for publishing an earlier version of chapter 3 in January 2006; Mary Grover and
Chris Hopkins for publishing an early draft of the same piece for the Univer-
sity of Dundee’s “Working Papers on the Web” years ago; and to Steven Fink
and Jared Gardner of American Periodicals for publishing an earlier version of
chapter 5. Their feedback, as well as that of audiences and fellow panelists at the
conferences of the American Studies Association, MELUS, the Asian American
Studies Association, and the American Literature Association helped push this
project in new directions.
The librarians at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for
Advanced Study were of great help in guiding me through the Shirley Graham
ix