Into the Great Wide Open

This week, in Literature of California, we began Nathanel West's seminal Hollywood takedown novel, The Day of the Locust. Set in Depression-era Los Angeles, the novel follows Tod Hackett, an artist, and various fringe members of Hollywood society, all trying to make it on their own. Since its publication in 1939, there have been countless other similar stories told of the broken dreams and seedy underside of the Hollywood scene. As we move through this novel, we will discuss why Hollywood is such a perfect symbol for this theme of the fracture that happens when reality does not quite lives up to fantasy. It still holds truth and proves a draw for audiences today as Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's A Star is Born is currently raking it in at the box office.

For this week's blog post, I want students to watch a classic early 1990s music video by the artist Tom Petty for his song "Into the Great Wide Open". In many ways, Petty is offering a musical update on the classic themes of The Day of the Locust. After you watch the video (putting aside the obvious dated aspects of the video itself), write a short paragraph in which you make some connections between what you have read so far of The Day of the Locust and the story told in the video. How does this song/video further expand our understanding of the Hollywood Dream Factory and expose some of the shadows in the sunlight of Tinseltown?

Here is the video: