Historical Context
In In the American Grain, various historical eras intersect, which is expected for a work covering centuries of history. The book's topics range from Eric the Red's voyages in the late tenth century to Lincoln's presidency in the nineteenth century. However, a significant yet scarcely mentioned era in the book is the 1920s. This period, known as the era of the "Lost Generation" of American writers and artists living in Europe, greatly influences both the book's creation and our understanding of its purpose.
Williams was not part of this "Lost Generation." So, why does this group matter for the book? It is because Williams developed his views on American history largely in response to their perspectives on America. Consequently, he wrote In the American Grain as a reaction to their ideas. Many American artists of the "modernist" era—a broad term for artists active from the 1860s to the 1930s—saw the United States as a nation hostile to art, filled with philistines, social climbers, and materialists, where wealth accumulation was the primary goal. The U.S. has often shown a dismissive attitude toward culture and has historically been critical or even antagonistic toward artists. American society has also been quite conservative regarding sexuality, the body, religion, and politics. Modernist artists explored these themes in unprecedented ways, often becoming outcasts and bohemians as a result.
These bohemians congregated in European cities like Paris, London, Berlin, and Vienna, where they supported each other, exchanged books, paintings, and sculptures, and eventually formed a "movement" that inspired younger artists. In the United States, there were no such gathering places. Cities like New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, now seen as bohemian havens, were more focused on economic growth or simply becoming urban centers to foster vibrant artistic communities. Probably the most bohemian city in early twentieth-century America was New Orleans, but it never became a major artistic hub for anything besides music. Consequently, due to the lack of support and a "critical mass" of like-minded individuals, American experimental artists fled to Europe, particularly to Paris and London, in the early twentieth century. In the 1920s, a large but loosely connected group of painters, composers, dancers, photographers, and especially writers gathered in Paris. Despite their diversity and occasional hostility toward each other, they generally shared the belief that the United States, with its capitalist materialism and Puritan conservatism, was fundamentally opposed to art.
Within this group were several of Williams's acquaintances, including his college friends Ezra Pound and Hilda Doolittle, as well as his close friend Robert McAlmon. These artists criticized America as a nation permanently hindered by Puritan influence and the relentless pursuit of wealth. They admired the cultural achievements they discovered in Europe and, through their art, engaged with historical eras. To them, America was a wild land, initially inhabited by primitive people, and now dominated by avaricious businessmen.
However, Williams firmly believed that America had more to offer. Throughout his life, he defended the United States in his correspondence with his bohemian friends. Notably, instead of moving to Europe to pursue a poet's life, he chose to remain in New Jersey, where he practiced medicine and wrote in his spare time. He felt a deep connection to and a responsibility toward America, convinced that Americans possessed a character beyond greed and reactionism. In the American Grain was his effort to articulate what the American character truly was, which explains why the book's antagonists are the Puritans. They represented everything closed-minded, conservative, hypocritical, and corrupt in America, having completely rejected the possibilities of the New World. The book's heroes are those...
(This entire section contains 642 words.)
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willing to embrace the New World rather than dismiss it entirely. Through this portrayal of American history and identity, Williams aimed to demonstrate to his friends and all American intellectuals who criticized the American "character" that they were being myopic.
Style and Technique
Narration
In historical works, the narrative voice plays a crucial role in establishing their claims to authority. Historiography, or the writing of history, generally presents itself in two formats: first-person accounts from individuals who experienced or were involved in the events, and third-person accounts where a historian compiles information from sources, interviews, or other evidence to describe a period without referencing their personal role in selecting and interpreting this data. These two types of history are often referred to as "primary sources" and "secondary sources," respectively.
Each style of historiography asserts its authority in distinct ways. First-person histories often provide detailed insights from the time and, when authored by key figures within organizations, can offer unique perspectives on the motivations of the participants. However, this form of history may lack broader perspective. Participants in historical events, even figures like Napoleon, Winston Churchill, or Henry Kissinger, typically cannot grasp the "big picture" of how these events relate to other historical or contemporary occurrences. Conversely, secondary-source history excels in providing this broader perspective. Historians ideally examine all relevant materials about an event to discern what "truly happened," independent of individual biases, and then analyze that event in the context of other occurrences of the time and similar events throughout history. However, secondary-source histories have their limitations. If a detail or aspect of an event wasn't documented, it remains inaccessible to the historian. Additionally, historians may struggle to completely set aside their cultural biases when analyzing a different era, potentially leading to misinterpretations or overemphasis on certain consequences of the event.
In In the American Grain, Williams sought to tackle this issue in a novel and innovative manner. As he explained in his discussions about the project and in his letters to Horace Gregory, who was preparing an introduction to the book in 1939, he approached his research with the diligence of a true historian. Williams dedicated extensive hours at the New York Public Library, studying first-person accounts, autobiographies, and journals of his subjects. He aimed for his work to be recognized as serious history, thus conducting his research as "real" historians would. However, Williams was skeptical of "real" history because, in its pursuit of "objectivity," it had completely misinterpreted the essence of American history. By removing a narrator with whom readers could engage, it implicitly claimed to be indisputable. Williams's project remains significant today because it seeks to challenge the authority claimed by secondary-source historians.
Williams addressed the issue of historical authority by proposing a unique approach. His work embodies what narrative theorists refer to as "multivocal," meaning it incorporates multiple voices. In In the American Grain, numerous voices contribute to the storytelling, with Williams including his own among them. At times, he observes historical events from a distance, while in other instances, such as in the chapter on Rasles, he directly involves himself in the narrative. This approach highlights his role as an active participant in American history, influenced by his era and environment just like the individuals whose stories he recounts.
Traditional historical accounts often aim to obscure the historian's personal biases, experiences, and human errors. Williams believed that this style of history presented an image of America that he strongly opposed—one of a nation progressing steadily in the disciplined, industrious path set by its Puritan founders. To uncover the hidden history of a vibrant, authentic America, Williams endeavored to let historical figures express themselves.
Compare and Contrast
1925: The United States experiences the Roaring Twenties, a period marked by economic prosperity and relative ease following the challenges and sacrifices of World War I.
Today: After the largest peacetime economic growth in history during the 1990s, the United States starts facing what some analysts refer to as a "downturn," while others predict an impending recession.
1925: Racial discrimination prevails in the United States, with the Jim Crow laws enforcing segregation in all Southern states. Even in the Northern states, African Americans face unequal treatment in economic, political, and social aspects.
Today: Legal (de jure) segregation is outlawed nationwide, yet social (de facto) segregation persists throughout America. Ongoing efforts aim to eradicate it through both legal and social avenues.
1925: The era of mass communication is in its infancy. The newly invented radio allows people across the country to listen to the same broadcast simultaneously, and "talkie" films combine sound with motion pictures.
Today: The advancements in mass communication over the twentieth century allow people worldwide to witness events live. The Internet's interactive nature enables individuals to comment on events and communicate directly (via email) or indirectly (through public forums like bulletin boards or websites). However, access to this technology is restricted to those who can afford the necessary equipment.
1925: Poetry occupies a modest yet significant role in American literature. Poets like Edna St. Vincent Millay and Carl Sandburg achieve widespread popularity and sell many books, while others (such as T. S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, or Williams himself) must pursue additional jobs to support themselves as they write poetry that will later be recognized as some of America's finest.
Today: In the late 1990s, poetry's popularity saw a slight increase due to initiatives like U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project and the "poetry slam" movement. Most dedicated or professional poets work as university professors, as few earn enough from their poetry to sustain themselves solely on that income.
1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, science teacher John Scopes is tried for teaching evolution to his biology students. Two of the nation's most prominent lawyers, Clarence Darrow and former Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, oppose each other in the trial.
Today: Although the scientific community largely accepts evolution as fact, religious groups in the United States continue to advocate for "creation science" theories to be taught in schools. They achieve successes, like in Kansas, where a late 1990s law was passed prohibiting the teaching of evolution as fact.
Bibliography
Sources
Breslin, James, William Carlos Williams: An American Artist, Oxford University Press, 1970.
Conrad, Bryce, Refiguring America, University of Illinois Press, 1990.
Doyle, Charles, William Carlos Williams: The Critical Heritage, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980.
Guimond, James, The Art of William Carlos Williams, University of Illinois Press, 1968.
Lawrence, D. H., Studies in Classic American Literature, T. Seltzer, 1923.
Williams, William Carlos, ‘‘The American Background,’’ in Selected Essays, New Directions, 1969.
Further Reading
Guimond, James, The Art of William Carlos Williams: A Discovery and Possession of America, University of Illinois Press, 1968. Guimond’s work was among the initial comprehensive examinations of Williams’s writings. Unlike many other analyses of modernist poets, Guimond’s book focuses on the cultural context of the poet and his connection to society.
Kutzinski, Vera, Against the American Grain, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987. Kutzinski, a professor in the English Language and Literature department at Yale University, offers a critical interpretation of Williams’s ties to his native continent.
Lowney, John, The American Avant-Garde Tradition, Bucknell University Press, 1997. Lowney explores the commercialization of "avant-garde" art and its links to popular culture. He contends that although Williams's poetry is often viewed as anti-mainstream, Williams actually sought widespread appeal and actively encouraged his publishers to promote his books.
Mariani, Paul, William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked, W. W. Norton & Company, 1990. Mariani’s biography of Williams is the most thorough of the many accounts of this poet’s life. It is particularly insightful for understanding In the American Grain, as Mariani argues that Williams is quintessentially an American poet.
Wagner, Linda Welshimer, The Prose of William Carlos Williams, Wesleyan University Press, 1970. One of the earliest examinations of Williams’s prose, this book focuses on his fiction but also provides intriguing insights into how In the American Grain integrates into Williams’s broader body of work.
