Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1920: No Award

1920  No Award  No Pulitzer for the Novel was awarded in 1920 because of one small word. Late in 1919, the Pulitzer Board tweaked the original mission language. The mission language was changed from from recognizing a book that depicts "the whole atmosphere of American life" to depicting "the wholesome  atmosphere of American life." The difference in meaning is quite interesting to contemplate. The intent of Joseph Pulitzer has been a matter of speculation ever since.  The front running book for the 1920 prize was Java Head by Joseph Hergesheimer. The committee disagreed on how the "wholesomeness" clause applied to this novel; thus no award was made. Hergesheimer and his novel are virtually forgotten today. Reviews on this hard-to-find book vary widely. The book averages a 3 1/2-star rating on GoodReads. Some people say it is little more than a melodrama, and others say it is a fair depiction of a society widened by trade and intermarriage. ( https://www...
Read more

1922: Alice Adams

1922 Alice Adams   by  Booth Tarkington 264 pages  Summary  Booth Tarkington won both the second and fifth Pulitzers ever awarded (see Entry #2, 1919: The Magnificent Ambersons ). Once again, this story examines the interplay of class, ambition, and personal happiness at just the right moment, when rapid changes were transforming choices for young people. Critics have said that this book verges on being a morality play because it carries such a strong message. However, the broad appeal of this book is evident in the successful movie adaptation. Alice Adams is the daughter of a modest Indiana business man. She is a likely candidate to attend the local secretarial school, but she disdains the idea of work. Alice and her mother harbor ambitions that cause them to act grander than the family really is. In contrast, Alice's brother goes to the other extreme. He flaunts his disregard for hypocritical conventions and keeps very low company . Alice sets her sights on...
Read more

1919: The Magnificent Ambersons

  1919 The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington 320 pages Book Summary Read this book to get a front-row seat on the birth of the automotive industry. The auto changed A merican’s towns forever by shifting populations to where land was cheap and plentiful. The story delves into the human reaction to change. George Minafer is a spoiled son living on the wealth of his grandfather's land speculation. He considers himself aristocracy, and he abhors anyone in “trade.” His mother indulges him, so he acquires no practical work experience. When his mother’s old beau comes to town, George objects to them re-kindling their relationship. He believes that that the old beau,  Eugene Morgan, is lower in social prominence. In reality, Eugene Morgan is an automobile inventor who moved to town to open a factory there. Eventually Morgan's auto business  booms, changing the social order of the town. The Minafer fortune has been in decline for years. Eventually it all comes down to...
Read more