American fiction, 1920-1940: John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Erskine Caldwell, James T. Farrell, John P. Marquand [and] John Steinbeck.
The lay of the land -- John Dos Passos: The artist in uniform -- John Dos Passos: Theory of the leisure class -- Ernest Hemmingway: Empirical ethics -- Ernest Hemingway: The esthetics of simplicity -- William Faulkner: The haunted south -- William Faulkner: Virtuoso -- Thomas Wolfe: The search for the father -- Thomas Wolfe: The search for a father -- Thomas Wolfe: Discovery of brotherhood -- Erskine Caldwell: The comic catharsis -- Erskine Caldwell: Substitutes and compensations -- John P. Marquand: The moonlight of culture -- James T. Farrell: Tragedy of the poolroom loafer -- James T. Farrell: The plight of the children -- John Steinbeck: Journeyman artist -- John Steinbeck: Art and propaganda -- Taken all together.