Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Farrell, James T--(James Thomas), --1904-1979--Studs Lonigan; Studs Lonigan (Farrell, James T);
Abstract
The years immediately preceding the depression, as well as the depression years, produced an abundance of famous writers. Typically the sensitivity of the creative man led him to feel every pang of hunger, every breath of cold. He was oppressed by poverty when prosperity was flourishing. He cried in rage as big business came into vogue. He despaired at the extreme contrasts existing across the country. When the Marxists of the day took up arms against these problems, the writer armed himself with his most effective weapon -- the pen. Then, as now, the news was colored by the men who controlled the various branches of the media. Right-wing elements painted a picture of vigor and destiny; left-wing advocates predicted the end of the American way of life. Eager to accept the darker picture as truth, the writer turned out novels, poems, plays, and critiques reflecting what he saw and felt. Chapter I of this thesis will show what such men did see. The remaining chapters will show what James Farrell in particular felt and how these feelings were revealed in his most famous work, Studs Lonigan. Farrell was at no time a member of the Communist Party. He proclaimed himself an independent Marxist. The purpose of this thesis is not to make Farrell into something he never has been. Rather it is intended to show how the sympathies of Farrell at this time were with the Marxist element and how, because of these sympathies, Studs Lanigan became a vehicle that transported leftist ideology to the people. In turn, it can be shown that Studs Lanigan has come to stand as one of the few enduring examples of the proletarian novel that was a unique product of the thirties.
Year of Submission
1970
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
Patrick C. Brooks
Second Advisor
George F. Day
Third Advisor
Robert L. Ross
Date Original
1970
Object Description
1 PDF file (91 leaves)
Copyright
©1970 Carol Richards Durbala
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Durbala, Carol Richards, "An Analysis of the Marxist Sympathies of James Farrell as Seen in the Studs Lonigan Trilogy" (1970). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2552.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2552
Comments
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