American Writers in Paris Criticism
The allure of Paris for American writers, artists, and musicians during the twentieth century is marked by its vibrant, open environment and affordability, which fostered a fertile ground for artistic experimentation and cultural exchanges. From Gertrude Stein to Henry Miller, many sought refuge in this city, drawn by its acceptance of modernist, surrealist, and other avant-garde movements. The city's appeal was enhanced by the cultural cross-pollination with international talents such as James Joyce and Pablo Picasso, and facilitated by publications like The Little Review and Secession, as discussed in After they've Seen Paree: The Expatriates of the 1920s.
Paris offered a liberating space particularly for women and African-Americans, who often faced restrictions in the United States. Writers like Anaïs Nin and Djuna Barnes found Paris conducive for exploring themes of sexuality and identity, as highlighted by Women of the Left Bank. African American authors like Claude McKay and Richard Wright also embraced Paris for the freedoms it offered, a point elaborated by And Others Too.
The interwar period saw an influx of American literary giants such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, who were influenced by the multicultural and artistic dynamism of the city, as noted by Eugene Paul Ullman and the Paris Expatriates. Despite Paris serving as a backdrop, their works often retained American themes, characterized by candid depictions of violence and sexuality, leading to censorship in the U.S. This unique expatriate experience, rich in diversity yet unified by a quest for creative freedom, was encapsulated in the reflections of authors like Hemingway in his memoir, as explored in The Moment Remembered and Imagined: Autobiography.
Contents
- Representative Works
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Criticism: Overviews And General Studies
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Why Do Americans Live in Europe?
(summary)
In the following essay, various expatriate American artists from Gertrude Stein to Harry Crosby explain their artistic and economic reasons for relocating and working in Paris.
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City for Expatriates
(summary)
In the following excerpt, McMahon enumerates the reasons that individuals from different geographical locations of the United States removed themselves to Paris.
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After they've Seen Paree: The Expatriates of the 1920s
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Earnest credits such literary journals as The Little Review and The Dial, as well as the publication of The Education of Henry Adams, with the decision of American writers and artists to emigrate to Europe following World War I.
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Henry Miller's Democratic Vistas
(summary)
In the following excerpt, McCarthy examines the reasons Henry Miller left New York City for Paris in the early 1930s, and discusses Miller's depiction of the city as the antithesis of American racial segregation.
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Eugene Paul Ullman and the Paris Expatriates
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Ullman—the son of painter Eugene Paul Ullman—uses his father's unpublished memoirs to present the multi-cultural milieu of Paris during the 1920s.
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A Comedy of Exiles
(summary)
In the following essay, Munson, the former editor of the magazine Secession, recalls the writers and editors living in Paris and presents an overview of American critical reaction to the works being published during the 1920s.
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Women of the Left Bank
(summary)
In the following essay, Benstock examines American female modernist writers living in Paris, believing that many of them were ignored unfairly by such American editors as Ezra Pound, whom she perceives as predisposed to give short shrift to women writers.
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The Great Migration: Parisian Aspects
(summary)
In the following essay, Méral examines several works inspired by expatriate life in Paris during the 1920s.
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And Others Too
(summary)
In the following essay, Fabre discusses African-American writers living in Paris, including Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, and Walter White.
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Modernism as Exile: Fitzgerald, Barnes, and the Unreal City
(summary)
In the following essay, Kennedy contrasts the depictions of French and American life in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night and Djuna Barnes's Nightwood.
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Paris between the Wars
(summary)
In the following essay, edited by Thomas Dilworth, the Pulitzer-Prize winning composer reminisces about his relationships with Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and other figures he met in the literary and artistic circles of Paris.
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The Moment Remembered and Imagined: Autobiography
(summary)
In the following essay, Pizer relies on the autobiographical writings of Ernest Hemingway (A Movable Feast), Gertrude Stein (The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas), and Anaïs Nin (The Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931-1934) to explore three American writers' perspectives of life in Paris during a time of cultural ferment.
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Why Do Americans Live in Europe?
(summary)
- Further Reading