TY  - BOOK
AU  - George Van Cleve Speer
PY  - 2012
CY  - New York, United States of America
PB  - Peter Lang Verlag
SN  - 9781453902257
TI  - Things of the Spirit
T2  - Art and Healing in the American Body Politic, 1929-1941
DO  - 10.3726/978-1-4539-0225-7
UR  - https://www.peterlang.com/document/1051127
N2  - In the 1930s, the crises brought about by the Depression, climatic devastation, and the rearmament of Europe led Americans from all walks of life to believe that capitalism and technology had synthesized into a monstrous force that threatened the human race. And yet, this chaotic decade also witnessed an unprecedented level of support, both rhetorical and institutional, for the importance of art in the lives of everyday Americans. This book investigates that paradox, asking why, when simple survival presented its own obstacles, our historically pragmatic culture began to define art as a necessity rather than a luxury. To answer this question, the book traces the symbolism of the embattled and recuperative body across a broad spectrum of American culture in the Machine Age. The book situates this symbolism within the commentary of artists, novelists, critics, and educators who trusted in the power of artistic expression and the experience of art to restore the health of the body politic.
KW  - climatic devastation, capitalism, technology
LA  - English
ER  -