LAPI 929 - Age of the Masses: From Versailles to September 1, 1939

Age of the Masses: From Versailles to September 1, 1939, focuses on the aftermath of WWI and looks at the period as one where the dissolution of old social orders led to the emergence of the crowds as catalysts in the tensions between liberalism, conservativism and socialism. The course will explore this new order by looking at essays, poems, film as well as music. The most extensive part of the course, however, will look at the work of three poets, Cesar Vallejo, W.H. Auden and Bertold Brecht to analyze the ways in which each of these writers commented on central historical events, while exploring the tensions between art and wider social concerns, ultimately testing the humanistic assumptions inherent to all works of art against historical reality.

Prerequisites & Notes
Pre-requisite: LACR 102

Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs