“objective” versions of histories in his interviews with Weinstein and, in Morris’s
Conversations with E. L. Doctorow, with Levine, Mel Gussow, and Jared Lubar-
sky. The chapter “Postmodernism” in Part II of the present volume offers more
information about the styles and techniques of this movement.
- Students may wish to investigate the historical personages and events Doctorow
blends into his novel, such as the murder of architect Stanford White by Nesbit’s
millionaire husband, Harry Kendall Thaw, in the Madison Square Roof Garden;
Houdini’s escape artistry; and the early days of American cinema and photog-
raphy. Compare historical accounts of the era to Doctorow’s manipulation of
them. What is his purpose, besides entertainment? What characteristics and
qualities are emphasized in his invented stories about the real-life figures? How
do Doctorow’s made-up aspects show readers not what happened but how it felt
to live at the beginning of the twentieth century? Students might also consider
the relationship between Doctorow’s inventions and his interest in highlighting
social inequality based on gender, race, and class.
- In crafting Ragtime Doctorow drew not only from historical figures and events
but also from other literary works, including the German writer Heinrich
von Kleist’s 1811 novel Michael Kohlhass—a title obviously echoed in the
first name of Doctorow’s character Coalhouse Walker—and John Dos
Passos’s U .S .A. trilogy: The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919 (1932), and The Big
Money (1936). Critics such as Foley consider the use of these sources “deriv-
ative” and “close to the point of imitation”; others view them as a hallmark
of Postmodernist “pastiche,” a technique that suggests the lack of an inde-
pendent or objective reality. How does Ragtime compare to the works by
Kleist and Dos Passos? Is Doctorow merely borrowing characters and plots,
or does his use of them help to highlight certain themes in Ragtime? Good
starting points for this discussion can be found in Foley’s essay; she also
cites other critics who have pointed out connections between Doctorow’s
novel and those of Kleist and Dos Passos. In Morris’s Conversations with
E. L. Doctorow Doctorow discusses his use of Kleist’s work in the interview
with Herwig Friedl and Dieter Schulz and mentions Kleist and Dos Passos
in the interview with Lubarsky.
- The film Ragtime (1981) was directed by Milos Forman, who rejected a
screenplay by Doctorow that had originally been commissioned by the director
Robert Altman; instead, he used a script by Michael Weller. Doctorow, who
did not like the movie, revised his screenplay and published it in Three Screen-
plays (2003); in the introduction to the volume he describes the differences
between his screenplay and the one used for the film. Students might compare
the novel, the film, and Doctorow’s revised screenplay. How do changes in the
plot and the emphasizing or de-emphasizing of characters, events, or themes in
the three treatments affect the message of the work? Also helpful are essays by
Leonard and Barbara Quart, who criticize the film, and Joanna E. Rapf, who
is much more favorable to it. Students interested in theater may want to inves-
tigate the critical reception of the musical adaptation of Ragtime, with book by
Terence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, that
premiered in Toronto in 1996 and was revived on Broadway in 2009.
E. L. Doctorow 21
