Madame Butterfly was an extraordinarily prominent figure in Western Culture at the turn of the 20th century. Her story was told in a famous opera, a novel, and Belasco’s play, among other locations. She became an iconic (if distorted) representation of Japanese womanhood in the West. What do you think are Butterfly’s defining charactersistics as a particularly Japanese woman? How does the play distinguish her from American womanhood?
What are the key features of the “strenuous life” that Roosevelt would have Americans lead? Why does Roosevelt think it’s so important at this particular point in American history to take up the behaviors, beliefs, and values he endorses?
Do you think the Genthe’s Street of Gamblers (above) is what Said would call an “orientalizing” photograph? Why or why not?
Jean-Leon Gerome, The Snake Charmer, oil on canvas, 33 x 48 inches, 1879
After reading Said, what are some of the specific parts of Gerome’s The Snake Charmer that you might call “orientalist”? What sort of depiction of life in the near east does it offer?
Judging from the examples listed on the syllabus, what are the sorts of things that early film makers sought to capture? Are they all of a kind, or are there different sorts of early films? Do the shorts you saw seem to support the arguments Ross makes or conflict with them? You don’t have to address all of these questions in your posts.
How does Robert Snyder or Lawrence Levine see popular theater changing near the turn of the 20th century? What kind of social groups identify with the changes? Does one of the sheet music covers or songs posted on the syllabus support the arguments of Snyder or Levine? Don’t feel obliged to address all of these questions in your post.
In Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” how would you characterize Paul’s relationship to consumer goods and luxury? How does William Leach’s discussion of the new department stores and their interior design and display influence your reading of Cather at one particular moment in the story?
With Veblen’s piece on women’s dress in mind, what do you think Sargent is trying to convey about Mrs. Hugh Hammersley in her portrait? What’s a detail that makes you see the portrait the way you do? Feel free to address a different portrait from the powerpoint file if you prefer.
What does Kasson think Coney Island offered that other forms of late-19th century amusement didn’t? What’s a striking example of Coney’s uniqueness?
This course traces significant changes in American cultural forms and practices through the 19th and into the 20th century. During this period, the United States changed from being largely a rural and pre-industrial nation, to one that was self-consciously “modern.” In our study of cultural change, we will focus on the rise of a mass consumer culture, the interplay between “mass” and “high” culture, and evolving ideas about citizenship, gender, class, and race that helped to form constantly competing visions of the nation.