Thursday, January 19, 2012
Ragtime's Comcial Reality
Doctorow's ragtime has a to say the least some humorous portrayals of early 20th century America. I couldn't help but at points to read the book as a wordy political cartoon. Especially in the way that such colossal figures collide, the way Houdini runs into a convicted felon whose name escapes me at the moment. And Emma Goldman seems to conveniently appear in the story when someone mentions her name. The moment I came to the realization that Ragtime is a really well realized political cartoon has to be when Ford and J.P. Morgan discuss going to Europe. Especially as Morgan unveils the sarcophagus and stands over it out of breath. This has created a believable world for me where such things can happen. It's similar to the discussion we had last semester on the lack of police in pulp fiction. The world has become so outlandish, that we become used to the reality and accept what Doctorow has to say. The loose base in history also helps with believability as there is always an aspect of irrefutable truth to each story.
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A political cartoon is a pretty good analogy here--and like good political cartooning, even the most outlandish caricatures are able to make some kind of coherent comment on a recognizable reality. There's a truth to Doctorow's invented history--maybe Morgan never said or did some of these things, but the *image* of him panting over his hidden sarcophagus comments on his "pharoah-like" power and influence in the world, as well as his "plundering" of the world's artworks.
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