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Case of the Velvet Claws - Erle Stanley Gardner
Literature during the depression was an important pass time as it offered an escape to the struggles of every day life. Many novels incorporated exotic plots and locations. Mystery novels became highly popular. Erle Stanley Gardner was a prolific mystery novel writer during the depression. -
Tender is the Night- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Writing became terse and direct.
Focused turned to the real, social problems of the Depression.
“Tender is the Night”- F. Scott Fitzgerald is an example of a changed writing style. -
Mules and Men - Zora Neale Hurston
Writers struggled for various reasons during the depression. Many writers simply could not find work. As part of the New Deal, the Public works of Art hired writers to do pieces for newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets. Other writers struggled as their style of writing was not well recieved. The works of Zora Neale Hurston were not recieved well at first because she introduce modern, African American dialogue. Mules and Men,1935, is an example of this as it documents folklore. -
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinback
The Depression introduced politicized writing.
Literature became means of expressing political philosophies and ideologies.
“Proletarian Movement” including works of literature that documented the struggles of the every day worker. These were extremely relatable as many suffered similarly during the depression.
EX. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck