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1930s - Writers. Some of most revered literature from Depression era Steinbeck, Dos Passos Enduring literary/cultural influence WPA Federal Writer’s Project (funded beginning in 1935) Many types of projects – not fiction
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1930s - Writers • Some of most revered literature from Depression era • Steinbeck, Dos Passos • Enduring literary/cultural influence • WPA • Federal Writer’s Project (funded beginning in 1935) • Many types of projects – not fiction • “Life Histories,” ethnic groups’ customs, children’s books, rural urban folklore • American Guide Series • All states • Also Puerto Rico, D.C., Alaska • “Writers” defined loosely • More than 6,500 employed
Studs Terkel, John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison • Most were young, unemployed (came off rolls), left-leaning • Each state – Editorial staff formed to supervise field workers • Scholarly consensus - primary goals of FWP was employment and the collection of oral/life histories • Federal Funding cut in 1939, sustained until 1943 by states • Link to life histories in Library of Congress - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html