As you read Doctorow's Ragtime, think about how the novel reflects on (and perhaps rewrites) the history of modernism with postmodern flair. How does Doctorow address the role of technology in modernism? The role of immigration? Why is the narrative voice so ambiguous? What questions and concerns does Doctorow raise about the nature of historical truth? What do you think of the characters you are meeting so far in the novel?
Note also that there is a film adaptation of this book (look here).
When i first started reading Ragtime, i thought it was going to be a lighthearted story about music. I have only read to chapter 11, but i have a feeling that i was very wrong. I find this book to be very dark not only in its subject matter, but also in its narration. Although i enjoy reading this book, i am somewhat shocked by the narrator's casual descriptions of the twisted scenes in the book. I loved how the narrator pretends to know everything all aspects about the story and tells them as if he/she were there. I have no idea which parts of the book are truth or fiction, and i think that this makes the book all the more interesting. I am also very interested in seeing how all the character's fit together so intricately. And, i still wonder who the narrator is (I think it is either the young boy in the sailor suit or the baby found buried underground, but who knows?).
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