8.2 Gilded Age Culture Notes
Gilded Age Culture
Can Gilded Age culture reveal aspects of the era that politics and economics might miss?
Key Literary Figures and Their Works
Mark Twain: A major novelist of the Gilded Age, known for satire, drama, and tragedy.
Notable works: The Gilded Age, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Puddnhead Wilson.
William Dean Howells: Known as the Dean of American Letters, wrote Indian Summer, The Minister's Charge, April Hopes, Annie Kilburn, A Modern Instance, A Hazard of New Fortunes, The Rise of Silas Lapham.
Henry Adams: Author of Democracy and The Education of Henry Adams.
Willa Cather: A novelist recognized for narrative powers.
Notable works: My Antonia, O Pioneers!
Henry James: Author of The Bostonians, Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw, The Europeans, Daisy Miller and Other Tales, The Golden Bowl, The Wings of the Dove.
William James: Works include Pragmatism and Other Writings, The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Proto-Muckrakers and Muckraking Journalism
Figures like Ambrose Bierce paved the way for muckrakers.
Bierce waged war against the Southern Pacific Railroad, exposing their finances through satire.
S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and McClure's Magazine represent citizen reporters who rewrote America.
Frank Norris: Author of The Octopus, which explores the conflict between wheat growers and the railroad.
Ida B. Wells: Anti-lynching crusader.
Jacob A. Riis: Author of How the Other Half Lives.
Upton Sinclair: Author of Oil!
Other Important Figures
Jane Addams: A reformer involved in the Settlement House Movement.
Henry George: Commented on the impact of railroads.
Booker T. Washington: Author of Up from Slavery.
Stephen Crane: Author of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
Theodore Dreiser: Associated with naturalism; works include Sister Carrie and The Financier.
Helen Hunt Jackson: Advocated for Native Americans.
Wrote A Century of Dishonor and Ramona.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A leading feminist intellectual.
Known for The Yellow Wall-Paper and Women and Economics.
John Muir: Prominent in nature writing and conservation.
Wrote My First Summer in the Sierra, Our National Parks, and The Yosemite.
Anti-Expansionism and Imperialism
The Gilded Age saw debates over American overseas expansion.
Figures like President McKinley were central to these discussions.
Political cartoons reflect attitudes towards expansion and imperialism.
Pseudo-scientific racism was used to justify American empire.
Key acquisitions: Alaska (Seward's Folly), Philippines, Guam, Hawaii.
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War in 1898 led to territorial gains for the U.S., including Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The conflict in the Philippines also played a significant role.
Gilded Age culture provides insights beyond politics and economics through its literary figures. Mark Twain, known for satire, William Dean Howells, and Henry James captured societal nuances. Proto-muckrakers like Ambrose Bierce paved the way for investigative journalism, with S.S. McClure and Ida Tarbell exposing issues. Jacob A. Riis and Upton Sinclair highlighted social problems. Jane Addams, Henry George, Booker T. Washington, and others addressed reform, industrial impact, and social issues. Helen Hunt Jackson advocated for Native Americans, Charlotte Perkins Gilman for feminism, and John Muir for conservation. Debates over anti-expansionism and the Spanish-American War reflected attitudes towards American imperialism and territorial gains.
The writers of the Gilded Age, whether novelists, proto-muckrakers, or commentators, commonly engaged with the societal nuances, social problems, and reform movements of their time. They addressed themes such as industrial impact, imperialism, and the experiences of various social groups, often using their work to expose issues and advocate for change. These writers used diverse forms of media, including novels, essays, and journalistic reports, to bring attention to the struggles of the working class, the plight of the poor, and the influence of corporate power on democracy.