People's Lives, Public Images

People`s Lives, Public Images: The New Deal Documentary Aesthetic re-examines 1930s documentary literature, photography, and film in the context of recent documentary theory. Using an innovative intertextual approach, the book offers in-depth analyses of representative documentary works in all three media. It argues that while documentary realism was originally derived from 19th century literary realism, it was established as a powerful arena for cultural and political renegotiations especially during the years of the Great Depression. Although the focus throughout is on this specific historical period, the book`s conclusions extend into contemporary valorizations of the real.