The Golden Age (Gore Vidal novel)
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| Author | Gore Vidal |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | American Chronicle |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Released | September 2000 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 467 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-385-50075-0 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | Washington, D.C. |
The Golden Age is a novel published in 2000 by Gore Vidal, the final book in his "American Chronicle" series.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
The story begins in 1940 and features many of the characters that Gore Vidal introduced in his earlier novel, Washington, D.C. (novel). This includes the families of conservative Democratic Senator James Burden Day, and powerful newspaper publishers Blaise and Caroline Sanford. It covers America's entry into World War II and the national politics of that time in some detail, and highlights of the post-war years, and then closes with a year-2000 retrospective.
[edit] Explanation of the novel's title
The title is more ironic than ambivalent, referring principally to hopes expressed by young Americans shortly after winning WWII.
[edit] Plot summary
The action centers around President Roosevelt's maneuvers to get the United States into World War II while keeping his 1940 campaign pledge to America voters that "No sons of yours will ever fight in a foreign war, unless attacked." Vidal makes the case that 1) the U.S had backed Japan into a corner with the oil and trade embargo, as well as massive aid to China and unconditional demands Japan could never accept; 2) the U.S. provoked Japan into attacking; and 3) the U.S. had broken Japan's military codes and knew of Japan's pending attack, but intentionally withheld warning Pearl Harbor. This was to arouse the U.S. populace and bring the United States into the war, so the U.S could take its place as the post-war dominant superpower.
[edit] Characters in "The Golden Age"
Historical characters:
Fictional characters:
[edit] Major themes
[edit] Allusions/references to other works
Charles A. Beard, President Roosevelt and the Coming of War
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Robert B. Stinnett, Day of Deceit
[edit] Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
[edit] Effect
Familiar Vidal characters from Washington, D.C. (novel) such as Peter Sanford are less vivid in The Golden Age. The Golden Age characters are more mouthpieces for various opinions regarding FDR's successful Machiavellian maneuvers that guide the U.S. inexorably to its pre-eminent postion in the post WWII world, the "Golden Age." The idea that the U.S government had prior knowledge of Japan's attacks on Pearl Harbor and other U.S. bases is hardly novel. However, Vidal's facility with the language and his ironic specific observations make the novel memorable.
[edit] Memorable
Jimmy Roosevelt, the president’s eldest son, relates to Caroline Sanford before FDR’s 4th inaugural, in 1945: “It’s going to be a nightmare when this war is over. Because we’re going to have millions of hillbilly boys on our hands who don’t know how to do anything except kill people. If we don’t find something for them to do, all hell is going to break out.” Vidal describes Washington as "the great necropolis of a nation so furiously dedicated to peace that it was almost never not at war to ensure ultimate peace for all time."
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Burr | Lincoln | 1876 | Empire | Hollywood | Washington, D.C. | The Golden Age |
