Midcentury Summary
John Dos Passos

Everything you need to understand or teach Midcentury by John Dos Passos.

Midcentury Summary & Study Guide

Midcentury Summary

Just as Dos Passos's social concerns represent a significant departure from those of the novels of the 1930s, his themes indicate artistic and philosophical maturation. He is concerned with the ways in which sexual and fraternal love pose an antidote to the universal problem of alienation. This theme receives a more optimistic treatment in this novel than in the U.S.A. trilogy (1930-1936). In those books, Dos Passos despaired of any possible...

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The Midcentury Study Pack contains:

Midcentury Short Guide

Characters

Social Concerns

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Themes

John Dos Passos Biographies (4)

John Roderigo Dos Passos

1,321 words, approx. 5 pages

The reputation of the American novelist John Roderigo Dos Passos (1896-1970) is based chiefly on his early work, especially the trilogy "U.S.A."John Dos Passos was born in Chicago on Jan. 14, 1896, th... Read more

John (Roderigo) Dos Passos

13,014 words, approx. 44 pages

For readers in the 1930s and 1940s the career of John Dos Passos had its puzzling aspects, but the image of the man seemed to possess a certain clarity. He was, according to the dust jackets, "Chicago... Read more

John (Roderigo) Dos Passos

2,128 words, approx. 8 pages

John Roderigo Dos Passos, social and political chronicler, was born John Roderigo Madison in a Chicago hotel. His father, John Randolph Dos Passos, a prominent attorney, and his mother, Lucy Madison, ... Read more

John Roderigo Dos Passos

13,747 words, approx. 46 pages

Biography EssayFor readers familiar with his work in the 1920s and 1930s, John Dos Passos's public image seemed clearly defined. His friends and colleagues were expatriate writers such as Ernest Hemin... Read more

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Midcentury SummaryJohn Dos Passos