History 476

Devine

Spring 2007

Study Questions for Thursday, March 1st

 

 

Erenberg, Swingin’ The Dream, Chapter 2

 

1.       How did the economic hardship of the Depression reduce the differences among young people?  To what extent did swing culture reflect this trend?

 

 

2.      What were the criticisms leveled against swing?  Why did most parents take these criticisms with a grain of salt?  How did the defenders of swing respond to the critics?

 

 

3.      How did technological advances – radio, jukeboxes, and movies with sound – make swing music more inclusive and break down barriers between urban and rural and black, white, and brown young people?

 

 

4.      In what ways had the dance ballrooms of the 1930s become more democratic and inclusive than the nightclubs of the 1920s?

 

 

5.      How did the swing dances and song lyrics allow audiences to escape the dreariness of the Depression?  How had dancing changed?  How had song lyrics changed from the sentimental and self-pitying “torch songs” of the early 1930s?

 

 

6.      How did swing dancers’ fashion reflect the democratic nature of swing culture?

 

 

7.      How would you characterize the relationship between swing performers and swing audiences?

 

 

8.      What evidence does the author cite to demonstrate that swing fans were not just  uncritical “passive receivers” of musical entertainment, but took an active part in creating a democratic culture around swing music?

 

 

9.      How would you define “mass democratic culture”?  According to Erenberg, how did swing produce “a revitalization of mass democratic culture”? (64)

 

 

Palladino, Teenagers, Chapter 4

 

1.       How did swing music impact social life and high school style in the early 1940s?

 

 

  1. Why was creating a teen market a “path of least resistance” for advertisers?

 

 

  1. Were “bobby soxers” typical American teens?  Why did advertisers try to portray them as typical?

 

 

  1. Why did parents find teen stars like Mickey Rooney (Andy Hardy), Deanna Durbin, and Judy Garland attractive and reassuring?

 

 

  1. How did real teenagers differ from the teens portrayed in the movies in both their values and preferences?

 

 

 

  1. How did the style and behavior of the Mexican-American “pachucos” and “pachuquitas” contrast with that of the “bobby soxer”?  In what ways were the two groups similar?

 

 

  1. How did the coming of the Second World War affect teen life and adult expectations for teens?