Main entry:

Griswold, Wendy, author.

Title & Author:

American guides : the Federal Writers' Project and the casting of American culture / Wendy Griswold.

Publication:

Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Description:

xiv, 361 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 333-344) and indexes.
Introduction: Casting culture -- pt. 1. Jobs for writers. Putting people to work ; Keeping writers out of trouble -- pt. 2. Guides for travelers. Guiding travelers ; Seeing America -- pt. 3. Cultural federalism. Negotiating federalism ; Describing America -- pt. 4. Readers and authors. Guiding readers ; Choosing authors -- pt. 5. Casting culture. Defining literature ; Using books -- Conclusion: Casting American culture.

Summary:

In the midst of the Great Depression, Americans were nearly universally literate--and they were hungry for the written word. With an eye to this market and as a response to unemployment, Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration created the Federal Writers' Project. They produced the Project's American Guides, an impressively produced series that set out not only to direct travelers on which routes to take and what to see throughout the country, but also to celebrate the distinctive characteristics of each individual state. The series unintentionally diversified American literary culture's cast of characters--promoting women, minority, and rural writers--while it also institutionalized the innovative idea that American culture comes in state-shaped boxes.

ISBN:

9780226357669 (cloth ; alk. paper)
022635766X (cloth ; alk. paper)
9780226357836 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
022635783X (pbk. ; alk. paper)
(e-book)
9780226357973

Subject:

Federal Writers' Project.
Federal Writers' Project Influence.
American guide series.
Books and reading United States History 20th century.
Regionalism Social aspects United States.
Social change United States.
Régionalisme Aspect social États-Unis.
Books and reading
Civilization
Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
Intellectual life
Regionalism Social aspects
Social change
United States Intellectual life 20th century.
United States Civilization 1918-1945.
United States History 1933-1945.
États-Unis Vie intellectuelle 20e siècle.
États-Unis Civilisation 1918-1945.
États-Unis Histoire 1933-1945.
United States

Form/genre:

History.

Added entries:

Federal Writers' Project and the casting of American culture

Holdings:

Location: Library main 293356
Call No.: BIB 238200
Status: Available