This book explores the major cultural forms of 1940s America: fiction and non-fiction, music and radio, film and theatre, and serious and popular visual arts. There is also a chapter on the 'culture of war' throughout the decade, and the intellectual context of 1940s culture is introduced: both the isolationism advocated by the political right, and the hawkish position adopted by progressives who used their artistic abilities to sway public opinion. Readers are presented with an accessible but challenging exploration of American culture in the 1940s which demonstrates the benefit of observing the decade as a whole, seeking out the unities and comparable features of wartime and the immediate post-war period in the US. Key Features: * Focused case studies featuring key texts, genres, writers, artists and cultural trends * Detailed chronology of 1940s American culture * Bibliographies for each chapter * 10 black and white illustrations