Published in 1873, 'The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today' is a satirical novel that satirizes greed and political corruption in the United States during the late 19th century. The book follows the story of the Hawkins family and their attempts to improve their fortunes through land speculation. It also includes a parallel story about two young men, Philip Sterling and Henry Brierly, who seek their fortunes in similar ways. The novel is notable for its commentary on the social and political dynamics of the time, including themes of corruption, materialism, and the struggles of the era. The title 'The Gilded Age' has become synonymous with the period in American history from the 1870s to the late 1890s, characterized by its superficial glitter and underlying corruption[2][3][4].
The book tells the dual stories of Daniel H. Burnham, who led the construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims. Burnham faced numerous challenges in building the 'White City', while Holmes constructed his 'Murder Castle', a hotel with secret rooms, torture chambers, and other sinister features. The narrative explores the contrast between the grandeur of the fair and the dark deeds of Holmes, set against the backdrop of late 19th-century America.
Gary Krist's "Trespassers at the Golden Gate" delves into the sensational murder of A.P. Crittenden by Laura Fair in 1870s San Francisco. The book uses this true crime narrative as a lens to explore the city's transformation from a lawless frontier town to a Victorian metropolis. Krist masterfully interweaves the personal stories of Fair and Crittenden with the broader social and political changes of the Gilded Age. The narrative highlights the evolving roles of women, the complexities of morality, and the city's struggle to establish its identity. The book offers a rich tapestry of historical detail and compelling characters.
Empire of Sin chronicles New Orleans' thirty-year struggle against itself, focusing on Tom Anderson, the czar of the Storyville vice district. The book explores the city's unique cultural landscape, marked by commercialized vice, jazz culture, and endemic crime, as it navigates a period of moral reform and transformation. Krist's narrative weaves together stories of prostitutes, moral reformers, jazz musicians, Mafiosi, politicians, and a serial killer, all vying for power in a city unlike any other.
Gold turned a sleepy Mexican outpost into what we now know as San Francisco. In just a few short years, thousands of migrants from every part of the globe made the treacherous journey to California, seeking not just wealth but a chance to begin anew.
Alexander P. Crittenden was one such pioneer who saw in San Francisco limitless opportunities for reinvention. Ever in debt and with a wife and 14 children to support, A.P. found that the city’s laissez faire attitudes suited him just fine—particularly when it came to his relationship with Laura Fair. Laura too had come to San Francisco seeking a clean slate, but A.P. and Laura soon began a years-long adulterous affair, with most San Franciscans happy to turn a blind eye. But as the city began to shed its rough-and-tumble past, and embrace the dictates of Victorian respectability, so too did Laura Fair. When A.P. once again broke his oft-repeated promise to divorce his wife and marry Laura, she decided to take fate into her own hands. Shortly before dusk on November 3, 1870, just as the ferryboat El Capitan was pulling away from its slip into San Francisco Bay, Laura Fair shot A.P. Crittenden point-blank in the chest. “I did it and I don’t deny it,” she said when arrested shortly thereafter. “He ruined both myself and my daughter.”
Fair’s murder trial was covered by every news outlet in the country. One of the first to involve an insanity defense, the trial shone an early spotlight on controversial social issues like the role of women, the sanctity of the family, and the range of acceptable expressions of gender—all topics of burning interest to Americans still searching for moral consensus after the Civil War. Trespassers at the Golden Gate author Gary Krist introduces us to a full cast of characters—including a secretly wealthy Black housekeeper, an enterprising Chinese brothel madam, and a French rabble-rouser who refused to dress in sufficiently “feminine” clothing. Their stories, along with those of familiar figures like Mark Twain and Susan B. Anthony, bring to life San Francisco’s Gilded-Age society.
Organizer: George Hammond
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