“The Wizard of Oz” is the quintessential American fairy tale, with roots in a 19th century depression.
Tag Archives: Populism
Hollywood’s Secret: We Can Have it All
Film Friday In my Film Genre class I’ve just been teaching Meet Me in St. Louis, the 1944 musical where Judy Garland, prior to her family leaving their beloved home to move to New York, sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The film sent me back to a book that has been instrumental in […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged American identity, Meet Me in St. Louis, politics, Vincente Minnelli Comments closed
Sarah Palin and All the King’s Men
The political world seems to be agog over Sarah Palin these days, with Joel Klein of Time and David Broder of The Washington Post, two columnists I respect, telling us to take her very seriously. This has got me thinking of fictional populists, especially Willie Stark in Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men (1946), one of […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alexander Pope, All the King's Men, Epistle to Arburthnot, politics, Robert Penn Warren, Sarah Palin Comments closed
