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1915, The Cultural Moment: The New Politics, the New Woman, the New Psychology, the New Art, and the New Theater in America
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329 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 26, 2019
This book contains an array of scholarly theses presented in the context of the year 1915. The year is particularly significant for the founding of the Provincetown Players in Massachusetts, the works of which provide the unifying primary threads that the editors use to create a “quilt” of emerging period art, politics, race, gender, drama, and psychology. In presenting this compendium the editors claim to capture a particular moment—quite a critical moment at that—whereby these varied ideas meet in a ‘cultural crucible.’ This moment is the beginning of Modern America, in literally new terms. The editors, convincingly more often than not, trace numerous subsequent movements of the 20th Century to the critical “new” ideas that emerge or gain momentum in 1915.
Essays on so-called “New Politics” deal with familiar Progressive notions of race and class; but something well documented here is the class rivalry among middle class African Americans who are split between a movement stressing Black-Nationalism and a movement stressing assimilation. In essays on early 20th century feminism, the authors highlight the ultimate paradox of the Woman Suffrage movement providing the vote but coming up short of a Constitutional guarantee for equality. As the authors suggest the “New Negro” presents the foundation of the Civil Rights movement, the implication is that the “New Woman” is the foundation for the Equal Rights gender legislation.
Most interesting to me was the inclusion of Psychoanalysis in this work. Perhaps there is no better example to support the authors’ claim that many of the cultural pieces of the ‘1915 moment’ were Americanized versions of radical European thought. In America’s adaptation of psychoanalysis, the authors present an appropriately cloudy picture of the therapeutic applications of Freud’s voluminous work, while showing a trend of “Americanization” of Freudian philosophy by the media and individuals. One strongly presented argument by John C. Burnham is the emphasis placed on individuality or self-expression that Americanized Freudianism seemed to propel. Aptly, essays on New Theatre and emerging Modernism in Art connect the thread of “New Psychology” to art and drama and strongly suggest a relationship between artistic expression and psychoanalytic focus on the individual.
Overall, I found reading these essays laborious; not because they were not interesting, but because I have an admittedly limited background in theatre and art. However, I find the cultural/intellectual thesis of this book to be fairly convincing as an grounding point for what is called ‘modern’ in politics, gender, psychology, art and theater. Another strong point is the advent of ultra-nationalism that accompanies the First World War as an oppositional force to the collective “New Intellectualism.” The biggest fault I see in the work is its emphasis solely on the intellectuals of this era; with no attention given to the impact these movements had on the average American.
Essays on so-called “New Politics” deal with familiar Progressive notions of race and class; but something well documented here is the class rivalry among middle class African Americans who are split between a movement stressing Black-Nationalism and a movement stressing assimilation. In essays on early 20th century feminism, the authors highlight the ultimate paradox of the Woman Suffrage movement providing the vote but coming up short of a Constitutional guarantee for equality. As the authors suggest the “New Negro” presents the foundation of the Civil Rights movement, the implication is that the “New Woman” is the foundation for the Equal Rights gender legislation.
Most interesting to me was the inclusion of Psychoanalysis in this work. Perhaps there is no better example to support the authors’ claim that many of the cultural pieces of the ‘1915 moment’ were Americanized versions of radical European thought. In America’s adaptation of psychoanalysis, the authors present an appropriately cloudy picture of the therapeutic applications of Freud’s voluminous work, while showing a trend of “Americanization” of Freudian philosophy by the media and individuals. One strongly presented argument by John C. Burnham is the emphasis placed on individuality or self-expression that Americanized Freudianism seemed to propel. Aptly, essays on New Theatre and emerging Modernism in Art connect the thread of “New Psychology” to art and drama and strongly suggest a relationship between artistic expression and psychoanalytic focus on the individual.
Overall, I found reading these essays laborious; not because they were not interesting, but because I have an admittedly limited background in theatre and art. However, I find the cultural/intellectual thesis of this book to be fairly convincing as an grounding point for what is called ‘modern’ in politics, gender, psychology, art and theater. Another strong point is the advent of ultra-nationalism that accompanies the First World War as an oppositional force to the collective “New Intellectualism.” The biggest fault I see in the work is its emphasis solely on the intellectuals of this era; with no attention given to the impact these movements had on the average American.
September 3, 2017
This book is terrific! I can't believe I hadn't read it until now. Interesting, informative essays and the first four PP plays. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews