In our book club tonight we discussed The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos. The book was first published in 1930. I am not wild about the book, but it was interesting to me, partly because it has been so long since I read any American Naturalism. There is a somewhat disjointed story, but not a highly dramatic plot. The characters seem lacking in inner life and low on integrity.
The title is apparently a mystery. It may refer to Chicago, which is on the 42nd parallel. The author was born in Chicago, but did not grow up here. What's more, Chicago is the setting for a significant fraction of the story. But there is no reference to the darned parallel in the story itself. That would be too easy.
The 42nd Parallel -
What the hell
Is that supposed to mean?
Does it refer to the scenes
That go down in Chi-town?
Or is it a mystery
Forever lost in the mists of history?
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