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The ''U.S.A.'' trilogy is a series of three novels by American writer
John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visit ...
, comprising the novels ''The 42nd Parallel'' (
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
), ''1919'' (
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
) and ''The Big Money'' (
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
). The books were first published together in a volume titled ''U.S.A.'' by
Modern Library The Modern Library is an American book publishing imprint and formerly the parent company of Random House. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, Modern Library became an ...
in 1937. The trilogy employs an experimental technique, incorporating four narrative modes: fictional narratives telling the life stories of twelve characters, collages of newspaper clippings and song lyrics labeled "Newsreel", individually labeled short biographies of public figures of the time such as
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
and
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
and fragments of autobiographical
stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver (physician), Daniel Ol ...
writing labeled "Camera Eye". The trilogy covers the historical development of American society during the first three decades of the 20th century. In 1998, the US publisher Modern Library ranked ''U.S.A.'' 23rd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.


Main characters

* Mac (Fainy McCreary) – A wandering printer, train-hopping newspaperman, and crusader for the working man * Janey Williams – A young stenographer from Washington, D.C. (assistant to Moorehouse) * Eleanor Stoddard – A cold, haughty young social climber * J. Ward Moorehouse – A slick, influential public relations man * Charley Anderson – A gullible, good-natured mechanic and flying ace * Joe Williams – A rugged, slow-witted sailor, brother of Janey Williams * Richard Ellsworth Savage – A Harvard graduate, employee of Moorehouse * Daughter (Anne Elizabeth Trent) – A spirited Texas belle and volunteer nurse * Eveline Hutchins – Artist and designer, Eleanor's long-time friend and rival * Ben Compton – A law student and labor activist/revolutionary * Mary French – Dedicated labor activist and journalist * Margo Dowling – Attractive, cagey and adventurous, eventually a Hollywood actress


Analysis


Criticism

In his contemporary commentary on ''The 42nd Parallel'' and ''1919'', Michael Gold noted their qualities as extensions of Dos Passos' techniques in his earlier novel ''Manhattan Transfer'', and described these novels as "one of the first collective novels". Stanley Corkin has specifically expostulated ''The 42nd Parallel'' in the context of readings of Hegelian Marxism with respect to the particular historical time of the novel. Arnold Goldman has commented on the "progressive disenfranchisement" of Dos Passos from 20th century America in the trilogy. Justin Edwards has discussed the use of cinematic techniques in ''The Big Money''. Donald Pizer has discoursed in detail on the passage 'only words against POWER SUPERPOWER' in ''The Big Money''. Janet Galligani Casey has analysed Dos Passos' treatment and development of the growth of his female characters in the trilogy. Stephen Lock has examined the cinematic ideas behind Dos Passos' use of the 'Camera Eye' sections.


Narrative modes

* In the fictional narrative sections, the ''U.S.A.'' trilogy relates the lives of twelve characters as they struggle to find a place in American society during the early part of the 20th century. Each character is presented to the reader from his/her childhood on and in
free indirect speech Free indirect speech is a style of third-person narration which uses some of the characteristics of third-person along with the essence of first-person direct speech; it is also referred to as free indirect discourse, free indirect style, or, in ...
. While their lives are separate, characters occasionally meet. Some minor characters whose point of view is never given crop up in the background, forming a kind of bridge between the characters. * "The Camera Eye" sections are written in
stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver (physician), Daniel Ol ...
and are an
autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
Künstlerroman A ''Künstlerroman'' (; plural ''-ane''), meaning "artist's novel" in English, is a narrative about an artist's growth to maturity.Werlock, James P. (2010The Facts on File companion to the American short story Volume 2, p.387 It could be classifie ...
of Dos Passos, tracing the author's development from a child to a politically committed writer. Camera Eye 50 arguably contains the most famous line of the trilogy, when Dos Passos states upon the executions of
Sacco and Vanzetti Nicola Sacco (; April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (; June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were Italian immigrant anarchists who were controversially accused of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parmenter, a ...
: "all right we are two nations." * The "Newsreels" consist of front page
headline The headline or heading is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th centur ...
s and article fragments from the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' for ''The 42nd Parallel'', the ''
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...
'' for ''Nineteen Nineteen'' and ''The Big Money'', as well as lyrics from popular songs. Newsreel 66, preceding Camera Eye 50, announcing the Sacco and Vanzetti verdict, contains the lyrics of "
The Internationale "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of th ...
." * The biographies are accounts of historical figures. The most often anthologized of these biographies is "The Body of an American", which tells the story of an unknown soldier who was killed in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
which concludes ''Nineteen Nineteen''.


Style

The separation between these narrative modes is rather a stylistic than a thematic one. Some critics have pointed out connections between the fictional character Mary French in ''The Big Money'' and journalist
Mary Heaton Vorse Mary Heaton Vorse (October 11, 1874 – June 14, 1966) was an American journalist and novelist. She established her reputation as a journalist reporting the labor protests of a largely female and immigrant workforce in the east-coast textile indus ...
, calling into question the strict separation between fictional characters and biographies. Coherent quotes from newspaper articles are often woven into the biographies as well, calling into question the strict separation between them and the "Newsreel" sections. The fragmented narrative style of the trilogy later influenced the work of British science-fiction novelist John Brunner. It also influenced
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...
's trilogy ''
The Roads to Freedom ''The Roads to Freedom'' (french: Les chemins de la liberté) is a series of novels by French author Jean-Paul Sartre. Intended as a tetralogy, it was left incomplete, with only three of the planned four volumes published. The three published nov ...
''.


Political context

The trilogy was written in the period when Dos Passos placed himself unequivocally on the political Left, before the major political shift which characterized his later career. Dos Passos portrays the everyday situations of the characters before, during, and after World War I, with special attention to the social and economic forces that drive them. Those characters who pursue "the big money" without scruple succeed, but are dehumanized by success. Others are destroyed, crushed by capitalism, and ground underfoot. Dos Passos does not show much sympathy for upwardly mobile characters who succeed, but is always sympathetic to the down and out victims of capitalist society. He explores the difficulty faced by winners and losers alike when trying to make a stable living for themselves as well as wanting to settle down in some means. The book depicts with considerable sympathy the activists of the
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
. It is more reserved with regard to the
American Communist Party The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
which took the fore in the American Radical Left after the First World War; though some Communists are depicted sympathetically, there are seen caught up in the increasing bureaucratization of the party. The book expresses an obvious animosity to President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, depicting in detail his suppression of internal dissent during and immediately after WWI.


Adaptations

The novel has been adapted a number of times, for purposes such as radio and stage production.
Paul Shyre Paul Shyre (8 March 1926–19 November 1989) was an American director and playwright who received a Special Tony Award and won a Regional Emmy Award.Haymer, Johnny (21 November 1989) ''The Washington Post'' page B-7 He is noted for the plays ...
created a "dramatic revue", working together with Dos Passos.
Howard Sackler Howard Oliver Sackler (December 19, 1929 – October 12, 1982) was an American screenwriter and playwright who is best known for writing ''The Great White Hope'' (play: 1967; film: 1970). ''The Great White Hope'' enjoyed both a successful run on ...
also adapted it for a well-received 1968 audio production with Caedmon Books.
Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...
of Rush was inspired by the trilogy to write the lyrics for the song "The Camera Eye" released on their ''Moving Pictures'' album in 1981.


Editions

Dos Passos added a
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...
with the title "U.S.A." to The
Modern Library The Modern Library is an American book publishing imprint and formerly the parent company of Random House. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, Modern Library became an ...
edition of ''The 42nd Parallel'' and the same plates were used by Harcourt Brace for the trilogy.Dos Passos, John (1896–1970). ''U.S.A.'' Daniel Aaron & Townsend Ludington, eds. New York: Library of America, 1996. (
chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , '' -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. I ...
)
Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
issued two boxed three-volume sets in 1946 with color endpapers and illustrations by Reginald Marsh. The first illustrated edition was limited to 365 copies, 350 signed by both Dos Passos and Marsh in a deluxe binding with leather labels and beveled boards. and bookseller descriptions: copies for sale, December 2010, at ABEbooks, Alibris, Amazon, Biblio and elsewhere The binding for the larger 1946 trade issue was tan
buckram Buckram is a stiff cotton (occasionally linen or horse hair) cloth with a loose weave, often muslin. The fabric is soaked in a sizing agent such as wheat-starch paste, glue (such as PVA glue), or pyroxylin (gelatinized nitrocellulose, deve ...
with red spine lettering and the trilogy designation "U.S.A." printed in red over a blue rectangle on the spine and front cover.personal copies of both editions The illustrated edition was reprinted in various bindings until the Library of America edition appeared in 1996, 100 years after Dos Passos' birth.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S.A. Trilogy 1930 American novels 1932 American novels 1936 American novels 1937 American novels Novel series Industrial Workers of the World in fiction Literary trilogies Novels about cities American novels adapted into plays Novels set during World War I Modernist novels American political novels