Details Books Concering 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2)
| Original Title: | 1919 |
| ISBN: | 0618056823 (ISBN13: 9780618056828) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The U.S.A. Trilogy #2 |
| Setting: | United States of America |
John Dos Passos
Paperback | Pages: 400 pages Rating: 4 | 2467 Users | 170 Reviews
Itemize Appertaining To Books 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2)
| Title | : | 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2) |
| Author | : | John Dos Passos |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 400 pages |
| Published | : | May 25th 2000 by Mariner Books (first published 1932) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Historical. Historical Fiction. Literature. Novels. American |
Commentary In Favor Of Books 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2)
With 1919, the second volume of his U.S.A. trilogy, John Dos Passos continues his "vigorous and sweeping panorama of twentieth-century America" (Forum), lauded on publication of the first volume not only for its scope, but also for its groundbreaking style. Again, employing a host of experimental devices that would inspire a whole new generation of writers to follow, Dos Passos captures the many textures, flavors, and background noises of modern life with a cinematic touch and unparalleled nerve.1919 opens to find America and the world at war, and Dos Passos's characters, many of whom we met in the first volume, are thrown into the snarl. We follow the daughter of a Chicago minister, a wide-eyed Texas girl, a young poet, a radical Jew, and we glimpse Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and the Unknown Soldier.
Rating Appertaining To Books 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2)
Ratings: 4 From 2467 Users | 170 ReviewsEvaluation Appertaining To Books 1919 (The U.S.A. Trilogy #2)
The war dictates its own rules And these rules make a man really smallsaw the German troops goose-stepping through Brussels, saw Poincaré visiting the long doomed galleries of Verdun between ranks of bitter half-mutinous soldiers in blue, saw the gangrened wounds, the cholera, the typhus, the little children with their bellies swollen with famine, the maggoty corpses of the Serbian retreat, drunk Allied officers chasing sick naked girls upstairs in the brothels in Saloniki, soldiers lootingThe USA trilogy is one of the top five "books" I've ever read... and you should read all three in succession... the trilogy interweaves non-fiction and fiction the way Doctorow did in Ragtime and alternates in styles throughout... I LOVED the 2-3 page biographies of famous people at the turn of the 20th century...
I love the flow writing style of John Dos Passos. It puts me into the flow as well. It also has an oceanic feeling to it. An ocean of experiences. I hope I'll not start drinking after reading this novel :) I never realized alcoholism was so wide spread.
I am surprised Dos Passos isn't better well-known. Although complete fiction, the picture he paints of the era is very compelling and is another, higher level of "historical fiction". There are several concurrent short stories of people in the period, during WW1. Great revelation to a modern reader of how these people saw that they were in the "War to End All Wars". In retrospect, I do think WW1 may have had some finalty for that type of war and its causes. For fun, these stories do cross over
I'm not really interested in "reviewing" a classic novel but two things stand out for me: the closing chapter on the selection and internment of the Unknown Soldier, which sums up much of the cold anger of the entire book; and how relevant so much of the book remains to today, nearly 100 years later. Glad I kept this on my list of "assigned college reading I skipped or skimmed but want to finish before I die."
If you like the 42nd Parallel, you'll love 1919. Dos Passos hits his stride with the second book (in the three-book trilogy). Despite using the same architecture as previous novel, 1919 feels slightly less formulaic, more organic and emotive. And though it can stand on its own as singular novel, the references to events and characters in the 42nd Parallel add dimension and subtext--without digressing into overly complex, divergent narratives. If you haven't yet read any part of the trilogy,
I would have eagerly given this book four stars if the individual stories that comprise the framework weren't so damn repetitive. Passos' voice is unique, seductive, hilarious, stark and powerful. What interested me most was the motif of sexuality in the text. It rules and guides all of the main characters yet (brilliantly?) somehow manages to seem subtle. I can't help but wonder if Foer gleaned some of his literary style and Cubist text formation from Passos.
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