Literary Significance & Criticism
Although more than a century has passed since its publication, the novel's satirical observations of political and social life in Washington, D.C., remain pertinent.
Playwright and screenwriter David Mamet, speaking of his book Bambi Meets Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose and Practice of the Movie Business, used The Gilded Age as a metaphor for Hollywood. On an NPR call-in show, Mamet drew comparisons between the Hawkins family's 40-year quest to win funding for a dam in their hometown and the plight of a young filmmaker trying to sell a script in the unforgiving studio system.
Read more about this topic: The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today
Famous quotes containing the words literary, significance and/or criticism:
“First literature came to refer only to itself, the literary theory.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“It is necessary not to be Christian to appreciate the beauty and significance of the life of Christ.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A bad short story or novel or poem leaves one comparatively calm because it does not exist, unless it gets a fake prestige through being mistaken for good work. It is essentially negative, it is something that has not come through. But over bad criticism one has a sense of real calamity.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)