While middle-class Americans absorbed themselves in sport and in the escapist world of dance, romantic novels, and light entertainment, a vocal intellectual group made noises about the country’s current problems. They mocked the romantic idealism and sentimentality that had cast a veil over reality.
Serious novelists, poets, and playwrights called for change as they pointed out weaknesses in American traditions and the sorry plight of the average American. Underlining the disparities between the socially elite, who had inherited or amassed great fortunes, and the working class, who toiled every step of the way for very little reward, they also drew attention to the implied distinction between "strong" men and "weak" women, and between the more powerful white middle class and less powerful minorities. These intellectuals rejected the conservative Victorian traditions and constraints that had built business and social empires, often at the expense of human decency. They became deeply involved in issues of social justice, many leaving their homes and families to live in the cities among the working class and poor. Other intellectuals escaped to the countryside to find new ways of exploring their ideals in the company of nature.
Romanticizing Society During the Magazine Age
What this relatively small group of thinkers sought and what the masses wanted were not necessarily compatible. For instance, while serious writers and artists demanded social realism, most popular magazines were pushing lighthearted themes and romantic escapism. Artist Maxfield Parrish, who designed covers for Colliers, created bright and whimsical illustrations that were saved and framed by thousands. Other illustrators whose work became America’s newest collectibles were Jessie Smith, George Plank, and James Montgomery Flagg. Harrison Fisher, an illustrator working for Ladies Home Journal, described the ideal woman of the decade, whom he often drew, saying, "She is gentle, she is shy; but there’s mischief in her eye. She’s a flirt." These were the same images these illustrators captured for their covers.
Norman Rockwell was one illustrator who used humor and color to depict ordinary people as they went about their everyday business. During the first part of this decade, his narrative work graced the pages of Boys’ Life and a few lowbrow novels and magazines; his first Saturday Evening Post cover appeared on May 20, 1916. Rockwell’s realistic style and eye for detail was described as sentimental, and he said himself of his work, "I am more of a storyteller than painter." Saying Grace is a fine example of Rockwell’s ability to capture a fleeting moment in traditional American life: An elderly woman and young boy in their Sunday-best have their heads bent in prayer in a luncheonette while local townsmen stare in amusement.
Light Reading
Most magazines aimed to entertain without shocking readers. They included short stories by writers such as Ring Lardner and cliffhanging serials by Harry Leon Wilson. Edith Wharton also wrote serials in order to make a living, but she later published more serious, important social commentaries that depicted the erosion of traditional values from generation to generation. Her novels included The House of Mirth, published in 1905; The Custom of the Country, published in 1913; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence, published in 1920. In contrast, her magazine serials were sentimental, light stories that almost always had a happy ending.
But this was exactly what the public wanted. In fact, some bestsellers originally intended for adolescent audiences gained far more attention than the majority of the serious novels written in this decade. A few popular writers did manage to inject a little social commentary into their work. For example, the bestseller of 1915 was written by Booth Tarkington, who was America’s spokesperson for adolescent audiences. The Turmoil depicted big business at its most ruthless, but from a young person’s perspective. The following year, Tarkington’s tale of awkward adolescence, Seventeen, was again a national bestseller.
However, other bestselling novels of the decade contained little in the way of serious social commentary. In 1911, the big hit was Jeffrey Farnol’s The Broad Highway, a heartstopping adventure epic of lost love and rekindled romance. Popular and intellectual taste continued to remain poles apart throughout the decade. Zane Grey’s The U. P. Trail, an adventure about the joining of the East to the West by rail, was the nation’s bestseller in 1918. Writer (not statesman) Winston Churchill’s Richard Carvel and The Crisis, originally published in 1899 and 1901, still enjoyed popularity because of their sentimental plots.
