University:
Felician University
Course:
HIST-110 | World Geography and Culture
Academic year:

2020
Views:

132

Pages:

15
Author:

5CelestialChronicle

To Kill A Mockingbird Cultural Context & New Historicism Discussion: What do you think New Historicism means? Definition: New Historicism is a kind of literary criticism which focuses on the time period in which the work was written. New Historicism looks at the historical events which would have influenced the author’s writing. Examples: Charles Dickens wrote about the terrible poor houses & crime dens in Victorian London – this is during the time that the Poor Act was passed. Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery” during a population boom and a cry for tradition/the familiar. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, about an escaped slave, right before the Civil War broke out. Arguments: New Historicism argues that history is textual. History is, in itself, a kind of story. Literature mirrors historical reality. One can tell what the politics and values of a certain society were based on the literature they produced at that time. “History is written by the victors.” Beliefs: History and literature are inter-connected. Society and literature both influence each other. History is subjective; it is open to interpretation. Famous New Historicist Michel Foucault argued that knowledge is power. How Does This Connect? Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird in the late 1950s, published in 1960. Mockingbird is set in the 1930s. Both of those time periods matter. They reflect two kinds of cultural contexts. 1930s vs. 1960s 1930s: Great Depression, pre-World War 2 1960s: Atomic Age, post-World War 2, mid-Civil Rights Movement 1930s: “Scottsboro Boys” case 1960s: post-“Brown vs. Board” “Jim Crow” still in full force during both eras. Cultural Context: Segregation: To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Alabama during the 1930s— times when Jim Crow laws were in full effect. Jim Crow would continue from the 1870s (end of Reconstruction) through to the 1970s (even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Cultural Context: Jim Crow: Jim Crow was not an actual person. “Jim Crow” refers to a variety show act performed by a man named Thomas Dartmouth Rice in the 1830s. “Jim Crow” was a slave character—Rice performed in “black face.” “Jim Crow” became a name synonymous with separation of the races. Cultural Context: Jim Crow Laws: Jim Crow Laws were a set of laws that mandated racial segregation in the Southern United States. De jure segregation– by law. These were enforced by Plessy vs. Ferguson, which said that “separate but equal” was allowed by the Constitution (when it definitely wasn’t). “Jim Crow” Laws would be in full force during both decades: when the book was set as well as when the book was published. Examples of Jim Crow Laws: "The conductors or managers on all such railroads shall have power, and are hereby required, to assign to each white or colored passenger his or her respective car, coach or compartment. If the passenger fails to disclose his race, the conductor and managers, acting in good faith, shall be the sole judges of his race.“ (Virginia) Examples of Jim Crow Laws: "printed, typewritten or written matter urging or presenting for public acceptance or general information, arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and Negroes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fine not exceeding five hundred (500.00) dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or both." (Mississippi) Examples of Jim Crow Laws: "All persons licensed to conduct a restaurant, shall serve either white people exclusively or colored people exclusively and shall not sell to the two races within the same room or serve the two races anywhere under the same license.“ (Georgia) 1930s vs. 1960s Gallery Walk Keeping New Historicism’s understanding of To Kill A Mockingbird in mind, we have to understand the cultural climate of BOTH the 1930s AND the 1960s. To give you a sense of live during these decades, there are two photo galleries to look through in Canvas. One is about the Great Depression (when the book is set); the other is about the Civil Rights Movement (when the book was published). Look through BOTH galleries before completing your Cultural Context Reflection in Canvas.