Old-fashioned modernism : rural masculinity and Midwestern literature / Andy Oler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oler, Andy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--Middle West--History and criticism.

American literature.

Masculinity in literature.

Middle West--Intellectual life--20th century.

Middle West.

Middle West--In literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (234 pages)

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2019]

Summary:

"The Midwest holds two conflicting positions in the American cultural imagination, both of which rob the region of its distinctiveness. Often, it is seen as the "heartland," a pastoral ideal standing in for all of American culture. Alternatively, the Midwest can represent "flyover country," part of an expansive, undifferentiated mass between the coasts. In Old-Fashioned Modernism: Rural Masculinity and Midwestern Literature, Andy Oler challenges both views by pairing fiction and poetry from the region with cultural and material texts that illustrate the processes by which regional modernism both opposes and absorbs prevailing models of twentieth-century manhood"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Masculinity and Midwestern modernism

Manufacturing rural modernity: The "Vast Energy" of Midwestern Masculinity

"The Rustic Dream": Gender Norms, Rural Time, and the Modern Countryside

"Where People and Things Wear Out": Masculine Fatigue and the Great Plains Farm Novel

"A Dreamy-Eyed Boy": Chicago, Race Records, and Regional Black Masculinity

Conclusion: Contemporary Manhood and the Entrepreneurial Midwest.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780807171608

0807171603

9780807171615

0807171611