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 Hemingway: empirical ethics -- Ernest Hemingway: the esthetics of simplicity -- William Faulkner: the haunted South -- William Faulkner: virtuoso -- 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.