1st Edition

The American Dream and the Popular Novel

By Elizabeth Long Copyright 1985
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    This title, originally published in 1985, examines conceptions of success and the good life expressed in bestselling novels – ranging from historical sagas and spy thrillers to more serious works by Updike, Bellows, Steinbeck and Mailer – published from 1945 to 1975. Using these popular books as cultural evidence, Elizabeth Long argues that the meaning of the American dream has changed dramatically, but in a more complex fashion than has been recognised by that country’s most prominent social critics. Her study presents a challenge to prevailing social-scientific views of contemporary American culture, and represents, both in theory and method, an important contribution to the study of culture and social criticism.

    Acknowledgements;  1. Introduction  2. Success in Bestselling Novels: The Social Context of Thematic Content  3. Bestselling Novels 1945-1955: From Entrepreneurial Adventure to Corporate-Suburban Compromise  4. Bestselling Novels 1956-1968: The Varieties of Self-Fulfilment – The Goal Achieved  5. Bestselling Novels 1969-1975: The Failure of Success  6. The Social Critics  7. Conclusion;  Notes;  Bibliography;  Index

    Biography

    Elizabeth Long