Published in 1927, 'Oil!' by Upton Sinclair is a novel that delves into the early days of the California oil industry. The story follows Bunny Ross, the son of oil magnate J. Arnold Ross, as he navigates his father's business and grapples with his own ethical and intellectual conflicts. The novel critiques the unregulated capitalist system, highlighting issues of corporate corruption, government collusion, and the exploitation of workers. It also features a rich portrayal of California culture in the 1920s, including the oil boom, Hollywood, and the broader social landscape of the time.
Middlemarch, written by George Eliot, is a novel that delves into the complexities of provincial life in 19th-century England. The story revolves around the intersecting lives of its characters, particularly Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate, as they navigate marriage, vocation, and social class. Eliot critiques the conventional romance narratives of her time by portraying marriage as a complex and often problematic institution. The novel also explores themes of idealism, self-interest, hypocrisy, and the constraints on women's lives. Set in the fictional town of Middlemarch between 1829 and 1832, the novel incorporates historical events such as the Great Reform Act of 1832 and early developments in medicine. Eliot's realistic portrayal of ordinary human life, with its quiet tragedies and small triumphs, has made 'Middlemarch' a masterpiece of English literature.
The novel, published in seven volumes between 1913 and 1927, follows the narrator's life from his childhood in Combray to his experiences in Paris and other locations. It is known for its complex and lyrical prose, and its exploration of the human experience through the narrator's relationships, memories, and observations. The work is often interpreted as loosely autobiographical and is celebrated for its profound reflections on art, time, memory, self, and loss.
Black gold. Liquid sunlight. Texas tea. Oil remains the ur-commodity of our global era, having been distilled from ancient algae and marine life to turn modernity's wheels. Wars are fought over it. Some communities are displaced by its extraction, so that others may reap its benefits. But despite its heated history, few will ever see oil on the ground. Shrouded within a labyrinth of oil fields, pipelines, and manufacturies, it tends to be known only through its magical effects: the thrill of the road, the euphoria of flight, and the metamorphic allure of everything from vinyl records to celluloid film and synthetic clothing.
In Oil (Bloomsbury, 2024), Dr. Michael Tondre shows how hydrocarbon became today's pre-eminent power. How did oil come to structure selfhood and social relations? And to what extent is oil not only a commercial product but a cultural one-something shaped by widely imagined dreams and desires? Amid a warming world unleashed by fossil fuels, oil appears as a rich resource for thinking about histories of globalization and technology no less than the energetic underpinnings of literature, film, and art.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
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