The more you know, the more you know nothing... Populuxe

Today's continued discussion with Dr. Scot Guenter of San Jose State University lead us to contemplate the role Steinbeck's East of Eden might have played in the popular culture of America in the 1950's. Published in 1952, East of Eden is considered by many to be Steinbeck's magnum opus--an epic work intertwining biblical, societal, and existential themes--and a tribute to American "exceptionalism." Dr. Guenter, an American Studies (interdisciplinary humanities) professor (and noted vexillologist), reminded us that by 1953, the United States was experiencing an overwhelming sense of prosperity, with an average income increase of 150% since the end of the great depression. The resultant retooling of our society led to what Thomas Hine called a "culture of populuxe." Populuxe at its core, could be described as a "vulgar celebration of consumption" in a post-war, post-famine society. The Leavittown prefabricated starter home prototype of the late 1940's early 1950's set off what would be known as the "suburban myth"--the nuclear family. Americans started moving away from the notion of "built to last" utilitarian material goods and toward the idea of luxury items and "trading up," similar to the way we feel about cell phone "upgrades" today (I don't need a new car, but hey, I deserve one!). The car you drove, the clothes you wore, the way you spoke, the religious affiliation you pledged your allegiance to, and the house you lived in all affected the way you were perceived and ranked in the societal hierarchies of American society. Many Americans in the 1950's were chock-full of nostalgia -- obsessing over the popular "Western" themed movies, television shows, books, and artwork -- while others looked forward to an impossibly futuristic, sometimes prescient, and oftentimes irrational "Jetsons" style future. In the midst of the imaginative escapisms of the population, a very different American archetype emerged--the Darren Stevens (Bewitched) or Don Draper (MadMen) male and the generally inequitable female return to the cult of domesticity (Betty Crocker).

All of this is extremely interesting to contemplate in relation to the work of Steinbeck -- certainly in relation to his epic treatment of East of Eden -- what made this book so successful (and subsequently the Elia Kazan interpretation of the book starring James Dean) during this very plasticine, conformist, and materialist era? As a metacognitive cultural study, this is extremely interesting...

Major works related to the "suburban myth" to contemplate:
People of Plenty, David M. Potter
The Organization Man, William Whyte
The Suburban Myth, Bennett M. Berger
The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan

Major works related to the semiotic study of "Populuxe"
Hidden Persuaders (1967) 
Status Seekers (1959)
Waste Makers (1960)         (All by Vance Packard)

Populuxe America...

Leavittown - "Little Boxes" - Elvina Reynolds

Tomorrow (at 6am!) we get into the intertidal at Stanford! Woo hoo!