Loading...
42nd out of 100 books
—
127 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression
From Agee to Astaire, Steinbeck to Ellington, the creative energies of the Depression against a backdrop of poverty and economic disaster.
Only yesterday the Great Depression seemed like a bad memory, receding into the hazy distance with little relevance to our own flush times. Economists assured us that the calamities that befell our grandparents could not happen a...more
Only yesterday the Great Depression seemed like a bad memory, receding into the hazy distance with little relevance to our own flush times. Economists assured us that the calamities that befell our grandparents could not happen a...more
Hardcover, 598 pages
Published
September 14th 2009
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published January 1st 2009)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
518)
I had always been interested in the 1930s in American history, particularly in its cultural manifestations in literature, film, and music. When I saw a favorable review in The New York Review of Books of Morris Dickstein's Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression, I resolved to pick it up as soon as I could.
There is an overall impression that the Depression was all I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, but as Dickstein points out, there are numerous forces in pla...more
There is an overall impression that the Depression was all I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, but as Dickstein points out, there are numerous forces in pla...more
a series of in depth analysis of books - novels and poetry, plays, movies - tinpan alley and jazz, music and other assorted 'cultural' events. Some of all of these were completely new to me. As a result I am tempted to read: In Dubious Battle but John Steinbeck, Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West, Quicksand by Nella Larsen, A Lost Lady by Willa Cather. Just what I needed - more books to read.
The scope of the topics made me wish the author had included a master timeline. It would...more
The scope of the topics made me wish the author had included a master timeline. It would...more
Michael Gold wanted to write a novel with bedbugs. Morris Dickstein wanted to mention that Michael Gold wanted to write a novel with bedbugs. Over and over again. Also, he kept mentioning that Michael Gold said he would write a novel with bedbugs.
Apparently, you can publish a first draft of two semesters worth of course notes, without editing, and as long as there's something in there about depressed Jewish people, it will make it into the New York Times best of the year list.
You...more
Apparently, you can publish a first draft of two semesters worth of course notes, without editing, and as long as there's something in there about depressed Jewish people, it will make it into the New York Times best of the year list.
You...more
Although Dancing in the Dark risks falling into the category of books suffering from "decaditis," as the New York Times calls it, Dickstein's focus on the good that art can do and the many places from which it can arise saves the day here. The project's broad scope gives the author's insights an inevitable scattershot quality -- Walt Disney, perhaps the most famous artist and visionary to come out of the period, doesn't figure at all in the book -- and Dancing in the Dark certainly isn...more
Dickstein comes up with some very insightful commentary and criticism of popular culture in the 1930s... but how the hell does one write a book subtitled "A Cultural History of the Great Depression" and completely miss The Carter Family, the Grand Ole Opry, etc? The subtitle should be "An Elitist New York Urbanite's Cultural History of the Great Depression." Beyond his blatant cherry-picking of material to suit his simplistic thesis, Dickstein tends to over-analyze his subjec...more
view 1 comment
"Cultural history" is a great concept. Accepting that history is more than wars and elections and politics, books like this can offer fascinating insights into what a period of time was like for those who lived through it. Morris Dickstein's "Dancing in the Dark" is only partially successful.
While often interesting, Dickstein's saga is seldom compelling. And it's hard to beat the 1930s for cultural drama. But, if you haven't read the books or seen the movie...more
While often interesting, Dickstein's saga is seldom compelling. And it's hard to beat the 1930s for cultural drama. But, if you haven't read the books or seen the movie...more
I found this book to be very interesting and enlightening. It covers a broad swath of American culture, from high art to popular culture, during the Great Depression. I have read most of the books, listened to most of the music, and seen most of the movies that Dickstein writes about; his comments make me want to go back to these productions with my now greater awareness of their meaning. Unlike many contemporary literary and cultural critics, Dickstein avoids academic jargon and has produced...more
I enjoyed this book despite the fact that it was not as readable as I had hoped it would be. But then, I have a fascination with American history so, of course, I was hooked. Dickstein views the culture of the United States during the Great Depression has having a split personality. There are the plays of Clifford Odets and novels such as the Grapes of Wrath, and then there are Busby Berkeley productions and escapism through movies such as those starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. An inte...more
Catherine Woodman
added it
I picked this up at the library becausse the NYT thought it was one of the 50 best nonfiction books published in 2009--and I think something about what good ame out of a bad time and why would be a good thing to think about--but I was underwhelmed by this book--kind of goes over some pretty obvcious ground, adds some things I did not know, but didn't really make a new picture out of all the data, nor was I drawn in by the story itself--I really liked the Dorothea Lange 2009 biography, which did ...more
Throughout my life I have harbored a special fascination for the 1930s. The decade in which my parents were born seemed so remote from my own entree into the world some 30 years later. It was a period of extremes, testing the limits of human resourcefulness and courage, fostering the most brutal aspects of human nature, yet also issuing forth a popular culture of arts and letters that is, arguably, unsurpassed in the 20th century. Morris Dickstein has woven these threads together into an extr...more
I hate misnamed books. This is not a *cultural* history of the Great Depression. That would include music, fashion, slang, hobbies, and other aspects of daily life. This is a *literary* history of the Great Depression, featuring novels unknown to any except English majors. Towards the end they throw in a chapter on movies and a chapter on Woody Guthrie, but that doesn't quite cut it.
Especially enjoyed his readings of movies and music, helped me think about the period in a whole new way--and watch some great films along the way.
QUOTE: "The sheer complication of plot in detective stories like Dashiell Hammett’s first novel, Red Harvest (1929), is another element of hard-boiled writing that found its way into screwball comedy, where the stories are invariably full of baroque complications and zany reversals."
QUOTE: "The sheer complication of plot in detective stories like Dashiell Hammett’s first novel, Red Harvest (1929), is another element of hard-boiled writing that found its way into screwball comedy, where the stories are invariably full of baroque complications and zany reversals."
A little dry and "tomey," but has some interesting points about the writers and filmmakers of the 1930s. Steinbeck, Welles, Faulkner, Kapra and many others lesser known today. Makes me want to add to me "Want to Read" list and "Want to Watch List" on Netflicks.
Gave up reading it. It's due back at the library today. Too dry, boring and many redundencies in it.
Gave up reading it. It's due back at the library today. Too dry, boring and many redundencies in it.
"Dancing in the Dark is a fine, high-minded survey of the decade's cultural history." - New York Times Book Review
Listen to Dancing in the Dark on your smartphone.
Listen to Dancing in the Dark on your smartphone.
Michael Schwarz
added it
An interesting and idiosyncratic look at '30's literature and film. Dickstein is a passionate reader of novels and movies, and notes some interesting connections. But the text often rambles and Dickstein sometimes seems to lack analytical focus.
Margaret Sankey
added it
A lucid survey of the cultural output of the 1930s and its reflection of the financial malaise and American loss of confidence--from the social realism of Tobacco Road and Grapes of Wrath, to the manic edge of screwball comedy.
I thought this book had a lot of potential but it was more like an author/book report of a variety of authors during the 20s & 30s. It was hard to make the connection to the actual topic and, frankly, an uninteresting read.
This wasn't at all what I was expecting. I was hoping for a cultural histroy of the great depression that was more inclusinve of the arts/culture of the times. Very disappointing.
I'm not sure what people were expecting from this one. It struck me as a great overview of the literature and film of the era, with some interesting sections on music, dance and industrial design thrown in for good measure. Dickstein posits a convincing thesis that is buttressed by the material he analyzes. There are plenty of great *social* histories of the Depression, which is what I think people seem to have been looking for. That is not this book. Instead, it sets itself specific parame...more
Probably a great book for a movie or book fan of the 1930's. Requires a great deal of background knowledge to appreciate it. It would be an excellent reference book, but wasn't an enjoyable read.
A very insightful book on a complex time in our history. It is not and easy read, but well worth it.
I only made it to page 52 before I decided I couldn't keep trudging along. This book is not what I was expecting at all. With Dickstein's constant parallels to 60s literature (which is obviously his area of expertise) I found this book hard to read and, well, boring. I may pick this up later to flip to the sections where he talks about film rather than literature, but for now, I will just return it to the library. It's sad because I really wanted to like this book and he obviously did his resear...more
Not my cup of tea. The English professor author went through all the authors and movies impacted by the Great Depression. I guess I thought the book would be more about the lives of the people and the events surrounding the Great Depression. The book was well written,I just didn't want to attend English class and study the writers.
I didn't hear enough in this book about the culture of the "people". A bit too much time was spent on critique of books and authors of the period, gangster film, etc. While the analysis of Fitzgerald,Steinbeck, et all was interesting and often pertinent to depression culture, it often seemed a bit too academic.Perhaps I was looking for more reportage of how people lived from day to day, which of course would include seeing movies and reading books.
I wish this hadn't been so terribly dry...
This as an interesting book but a tough read. Dickstein is a professor of cultural arts and is writing style is more academic than narrative.
He looks at the authors, poets, screenwriters, songwriters and artists of the era and details how the Depression affected their works.
What was missing was the public reaction to this and how they perceived the arts during America's toughest economic period
He looks at the authors, poets, screenwriters, songwriters and artists of the era and details how the Depression affected their works.
What was missing was the public reaction to this and how they perceived the arts during America's toughest economic period
This book is too small for its breeches, which is to say it is highly repetitious, has an interesting but relatively modest historical perspective, and needed an editor with a weed wacker to cut about 100 pages. The book also creates its own version of the Renaissance problem (when did that Renaissance begin?)by inconsistent framing of its own historical period.
Was expecting more of a popular history but this one reads more like a doctoral dissertation.
I did a speed read throuh certain chapters I was most interested in, since I couldn't read this dense text with-in 3 weeks. I'll check it out again in the future for a more thorough reading.
An excellent cultural criticism of literature, art, music, films that are informed by the Great Depression. If you're a history buff, you'll totally enjoy this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Morris Dickstein is Distinguished Professor of English and Theatre at the CUNY Graduate Center and the author of Gates of Eden and Leopards in the Temple, among other works. He lives in New York City. "
More about Morris Dickstein...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
