Dancing in the Dark, Morris Dickstein
Dancing in the Dark, Morris Dickstein
List: $31.95 | Sale: $22.36
Club: $15.97

Dancing in the Dark
A Cultural History of the Great Depression

Author: Morris Dickstein

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Unabridged: 23 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/06/2010

Synopsis

Hailed as one of the best books of 2009 by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, this vibrant portrait of 1930s culture masterfully explores the anxiety and hope, the despair and surprising optimism of distressed Americans during the Great Depression. Morris Dickstein, whom Norman Mailer called one of our best and most distinguished critics of American literature, has brought together a staggering range of material, from epic Dust Bowl migrations to zany screwball comedies, elegant dance musicals, wildly popular swing bands, and streamlined art deco designs. Exploding the myth that Depression culture was merely escapist, Dickstein concentrates on the dynamic energy of the arts and the resulting lift they gave to the nation's morale. A fresh and exhilarating analysis of one of America's most remarkable artistic periods, with Dancing in the Dark Dickstein delivers a monumental critique.

About Morris Dickstein

Morris Dickstein is a literary and cultural critic and distinguished professor of English 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim

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 t......more

Goodreads review by Robert

This is less a cultural history of the Depression than it is an eminent critic's personal selection of the most significant art produced during the Thirties, accompanied by his brilliant analyses of these works. Although the graphic arts and music are considered, the book's primary emphasis is on fi......more

Goodreads review by Mommalibrarian

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,......more

Goodreads review by Steven

This history got great reviews. I don't know what they were reading. Yes, it's very good at times, especially in his discussion of movies, but too much of the time it feels like the author was trying to shoehorn his themes dealing with American Communism and its interaction with the culture of the 3......more

Goodreads review by Paul

"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......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List