American small-town fiction, 1940-1960 a critical study Booth, Nathanael T. 1987- creator author. text bibliography Criticism, interpretation, etc. ncu 2019 monographic eng print vii, 209 pages ; 23 cm "In literature and popular culture, small town America is often idealized as distilling the national spirit. Examined together, these works are key to understanding how mid-20th century America refashioned itself in light of a new postwar order, and how the literary small town both obscures and reveals contradictions at the heart of the American experience"-- Columbus on the platform: the train station -- "The crisis of individuation": the schoolhouse -- The small-town bildungsroman: the malt shop -- No town is an island: Main Street and the town square -- False transcendence: the movie theater -- Good god, bad god: the church -- Fortunate fall: the courthouse -- Transcending division: the outskirts -- In this garden of death: the graveyard. Nathanael T. Booth. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1900-1999 fast American fiction 20th century History and criticism Cities and towns in literature City and town life in literature American fiction Cities and towns in literature City and town life in literature PS374.C5 B66 2019 813/.509355 1476672741 9781476672748 2018057664 pda,print DLC 190109 20250318214822.0 in00004170808 eng