Charlie H. History As Fiction

The main focus of the novel Mumbo Jumbo  is what is known as Jes Grew, a metaphysical phenomenon of black culture. We can see the obvious manifestations of Jes Grew in art and culture the prime example being jazz. New developments in culture, especially dancing and music, come from Jes Grew, however these developments are specifically rebellious or problematic in the eyes of older generations and white elitists. Its important to note that Jes Grew isn't the actual dancing, music, or culture, but instead the spread and creation of the culture itself. It is like a virus that spreads from person to person. However, unlike a virus, if everyone gets it, it seems to fade away. Jes Grew which sounds very much like the phrase "Just Grew" is something that is inherently connected to younger generations and new ideas. Jazz was just becoming popular in the 1920's, and was extremely controversial for its free form style and causing people to dance and move. However, now jazz has ...

Ragtime is a genre of music like no other. It has a distinct connection to the time period in which it was popularized. It is also significant to the themes of this story, as ragtime was typically music for the poor. It was not "elite" or "refined". Evidence of this is that ragtime sounds the best when played on old out of tune pianos, which was all many poorer families could afford. Just like we see when Coalhouse Walker performs for the family, more specifically Sarah, for the first time. The melodious chords rang out even more because of the added character from the lack of tuning. When we listened to the sample in class, the music sounded a bit corny and lacked luster, because of how well-tuned the piano sounded. However, if you listen to recordings online of ragtime played on very old rustic pianos, there is so much more soul to the music. This book is about class separations and inequalities.  However, this book is not at all about ragtime. Ragtime is just in ...

Doctorow has a distinctly post-modernist outlook on things. Especially on the subject of industrialization in the early 1900s. In chapter 18 we see Doctorow give a description of the introduction of the assembly line, through his own interpretation and understanding of the event. His portrayal and description of Henry Ford and his new invention seem both flattering and demeaning at the same time. He seems to recognize its historical signficance while also subtley critizing the motivations and the person behind the invention. Henry Ford is widely regarded as one of the most influential businessmen in all of history because of his introduction of the assembly line. Doctorow seems to respect this fact. However, he does not hesitate to criticize Henry Ford's character in his description of his actions. It is important to note that this book is not completely based on fact. Some of these details are manufactured and purely the imagination of Doctorow, but nevertheless represents a gener...