Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2021 The Significance of the Automobile in 20th .C American Short Fiction Megan M. Flanery Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, American Material Culture Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Flanery, Megan M., "The Significance of the Automobile in 20th .C American Short Fiction" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2220. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2220 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AUTOMOBILE IN 20TH C. AMERICAN SHORT FICTION by MEGAN M. FLANERY ABSTRACT Midcentury American life featured a post-war economy that established a middle class in which disposable income and time for leisure were commonplace. In this socio-economic environment, consumerism flourished, ushering in the Golden Age of the automobile: from 1950 to 1960, Americans spent more time in their automobiles than ever before, and, by the end of the decade, the number of cars on the road had more than doubled. While much critical attention has been given to the role of the automobile in American novels, less has been given to its role in American short stories.