Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-265) and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- Freeloading in Hobohemia : antimodernism, free verse, and the state in American World War One periodical culture -- Letters from a soldier : letters and states of intimacy in World War One American literature -- The regional novel and the wartime state -- U.S.A., World War One, and the petromodern state -- Fictions of rehabilitation : narratives of disabled veterans' health care in the World War One era -- Conclusion.
Summary:
"World War One, American Literature, and the Federal State In this book, Mark Whalan argues that World War One's major impact on U.S. culture was not the experience of combat trauma, but rather the effects of the expanded federal state bequeathed by U.S. mobilization. Writers bristled at the state's new intrusions and coercions, but were also intrigued by its creation of new social ties and political identities. This excitement informed early American modernism, whose literary experiments often engaged the political innovations of the Progressive state at war. Writers such as Wallace Stevens, John Dos Passos, Willa Cather, Zane Grey, and Edith Wharton were fascinated by wartime discussions over the nature of U.S. citizenship, and also crafted new forms of writing that could represent a state now so complex it seemed to defy representation at all. And many looked to ordinary activities transformed by the war - such as sending mail, receiving healthcare, or driving a car - to explore the state's everyday presence in American lives"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.