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FDU PRESS
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| Scholarly Review |
 | Race, Music, and National Identity: Images of Jazz in American Fiction, 1920-1960
ISBN# 9780838641408
Reviewed by: C.M. Weisenberg
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McCann (Delmar College) opens a worthwhile discussion in this exploration of jazz in fiction. In the decades from the 1920s through the 1950s, the perception of jazz changed from a primitive, superficial music to a serious artistic form. The author examines 16 fictional works to see what they had to say about jazz music and American society. He does not discuss the fact that almost none of America's greatest fiction writers, primarily young white men, touched on the world of jazz. The best known of the authors considered is F. Scott Fitzgerald, who (even though he coined the term Jazz Age) had so little to do jazz that his inclusion is questionable. And McCann notes that Ralph Ellison, one of the few recognized African American writers of the period, provides insights into the jazz world but does not write a "jazz story." Among others discussed: Dorothy Baker, whose Young Men with a Horn broke new ground but has not held up well, and Eurora Welty, whose "Powerhouse" is among the most analyzed pieces of jazz fiction. McCann's suggestion that jazz is America's classical music is a nice thought but unrealistic. The disconnect between the real jazz world and its fictional counterpart is evident and real.
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