#586 in our old book database. Not rated.

This was a major disappointment. The USA Trilogy has been in the back of my mind as one of those "I'll read that for sure one of these days" works for 15 years or so. 80 some odd years after its publication it is still mentioned as contender for the Great American Novel. Well, after reading this, the first volume, I don't join that chorus.

Dos Passos famously uses four different modes of writing in this work. The most conventional one, which is the main body of text, follows the youth and adulthood of various characters making their way through early 20th Century America. The characterization is decent, but fundamentally Dos Passos is not interested in these characters as people, but as types, as representatives of the USA. You can give him credit for scope, though if you're admiring of this aspect you should also give him demerits for a complete lack of interest in the experience of non-white Americans, which would seem to be a major flaw in a work aiming to embody the whole experience of USA. These chapters are okay, though nothing exceptional. Worthy of 3 stars.

Taking the book down to 2 stars for me are two experimental, modernist modes of writing, which I view as total failures. The greatest offenders are the "Camera Eye" sections, 27 of them in The 42nd Parallel, in which Dos Passos copies the style of James Joyce in attempting to create a portrait of the author. About a page or two each, bereft of any context or continuity, they are fairly tortuous, if blessedly brief.

The other mode is the Newsreel sections, which mash up and blend popular song lyrics with newspaper headlines and scraps of stories, as if someone with ADD was flipping through a paper while humming a song to himself. Experimental, precursor to TV, window into the mind of the time, blah blah blah.

MOON'S PATENT IS FIZZLE

insurgents win at Kansas polls Oak Park soulmates part 8000 to take autoride says girl begged for her husband

PIT SENTIMENT FAVORS UPTURN

Oh you be-eautiful doll
You great big beautiful doll

Sorry, I'm not gaining anything by this.

The fourth mode is the one I enjoyed the most, brief sketches of famous biographical figures of the time which tend to the witty, irreverent and clever. I quite liked them, though are they necessary or even sensical to include in the novel? Not really. ( )

Published in 1930, this first book in the USA trilogy is set in various locations across the US during 1900-1917. It portrays “the American experience” during these years. It is quite creative for its time. The characters are fictional, but it also includes segments of non-fiction, such as headlines from the newsreels, biographies of notable people, song lyrics, and the author’s own memories. These merge into each other without separation or punctuation. There is a lot of discussion and involvement in the labor movement.

I particularly enjoyed the newsreels. They provide dates for the storyline, evoke a feeling for the time period, and often provide an implied criticism of what was just occurred in the narrative, taking to task some of the characters’ actions. This is more implied than stated but it is relatively easy to read between the lines. The author seems to be providing social commentary on “yellow journalism,” propaganda, and advertising in contributing to materialism.

It is a slice of the past, complete with viewpoints (by the characters, not the author) that will not sit well with a modern audience. For example, pretty much every ethnic slur is included in the dialogue. Most of the characters are rather unpleasant. This book is considered a classic so I’m glad I read it but also glad to be finished.
( )

I'm enjoying these little slices of American life in the early 20th century. This first volume definitely ends abruptly, and I might have to pick up the second before I get the characters from this one all jumbled in my head. This epic is better, less dry than I expected it to be, at least so far. We'll see if it holds my interest through two more volumes. ( )

The 42nd Parallel–part of the USA Trilogy–paints a picture of the United States during the early part of the twentieth century. The morphing idea of the American Dream during the years 1900 to 1918. Revolution is in the air. Capitalism is questioned as Socialism gains more attention. Industry overshadows agrarian means of production. The world becomes more global. A Great War looms. The American man AND woman search for meaning, search for more. One can feel the proverbial ‘calm before the twentieth century storm’. Looking very much forward to reading the next two volumes. ( )