[.ca] The World through a Monocle: The New Yorker at Midcentury (ISBN 0674961935)

Slices of postwar life:
Though begun in 1925, the New Yorker really came into its own following WW2, and in the 40s and 50s set its course through the major domestic and international issues of the day--the threat of Communism, war in Korea and racial discontent were as important to its readers as was life in the suburbs with its bored housewives and flippant domestics. It forced us to look at serious problems at home and abroad while it poked fun at our attempts to meet the challenges, and by doing so made us that much more aware. Readership ran the gamut of liberals, patricians, idealists, intellectuals, activists and dreamers. And while it obviously held great appeal for the affluent and the avant-garde, it equally exhorted their social responsibilities. There was something for everyone and a forum for just about anything. The New Yorker has consistently, and at times irreverently, recorded the evolution of the American spirit, more often than not in its fabulous cartoons!!!

Postwar Paradoxes Explained:
The World Through a Monocle gives us an insightful synthesis of the major contradictions of the 1950s. Mary Corey skillfully interprets the ambiguities found in the pages of the New Yorker from 1946 to 1953. Rather than viewing that complex world through rose-colored glasses, Corey argues that the magazine reflected a telescopic view in which all aspects of the postwar world were present, but the lens magnified some facets out of proportion and others became so minuscule that New Yorker readers could not distinguish them. It is clear Corey delights in the New Yorker world, but wants to understand it at a deeper level. Her lively prose draws the reader in and helps them understand the magazine's appeal to a newly status conscious and anxious population. We come to understand how socially conscious liberals who longed for both "social distinction" and "egalitarian democratic principles" could dismiss or misinterpret "significant power inequities that existed within postwar American society." Her chapters explore the complexities of anti-communism, race, class, gender and consumerism. Her conclusion suggests that the children of 50s New Yorker readers become the counterculture rebels of the 60s. Rather than "fretting" about power inequities as their parents had, this generation openly rebelled against the materialism and economic privilege that shaped the 40s and 50s. Corey neatly maps the "constraints and ellipses of post war discourse." Her persuasive exposing of the lacunae of such a powerful segment of society raises provocative questions about our present social astigmatism.

An insightful, original study of The New Yorker's mindset:
Corey's book examines the cultural assumptions of the New Yorker as a reflection of the divided heart of the liberal intelligencia--torn between altruism and social aspiration, the magnanimous and the material. The book is refreshingly free of both academic jargon and the elevated gossip that constitutes much of what has been written about the magazine. Her focus is on what's inside its pages--from the Talk of the Town to the fiction, cartoons, advertisements and features. It's all fertile ground for Corey's critical but always humane intelligence, which discovers in the contradictions of the magazine (and its readers) the seeds of discord that led to the rebellions of the 60s. Corey makes it clear that she is writing about a world she grew up in herself--the world of her parents--but she never lets her personal investment get in the way of her clear-eyed but sympathetic analysis. The writing is supple and elegant; the analysis origial, and she never forgets to let the alluring spirit of the magazine she both loves and deplores shine through. A terrific read.

An Engaging Look at an Important Magazine:
Mary F. Corey has written an entertaining, well researched and, in its own delightful way, charming look at a magazine in the middle of the twentienth century. This is important because the magazine is the New Yorker and it reflects the attitudes and thoughts of a certain group of Americans of this period, a sort of floating liberalism. The author looks at the New Yorker's views of women, other races, communism and servants (among other subjects) in its fiction, articles and cartoons. New Yorker magazine does not necessarily come out all good in this but that is part of the pleasure of this book. It is not written as a form of nostalgia (although there is always a whiff present) but as a serious look at an important time in American history and what some leading writers and journalists were thinking and creating at this time. There is much positive among the negative and it does give the reader a real feeling for how important a magazine can be and, particulary, have been in the past. A very good book and an excellant look at an important magazine.

A pleasant, interesting read, but sometimes too analytical.:
This is a pleasant read, particularly for tbe regular New Yorker reader. It provides a good insight into the opinions and pretenses of educated, liberal-minded, and financially comfortable Americans of the '40s and '50s with regard to issues we learned about mostly through dull high school history lectures. Each chapter focuses on a particular theme of the era, such as McCarthyism, civil rights, household help, etc. All are well-written, but I think in some sections, the author draws a few too many psycho-babblish inferences.