The Roaring of the Twenties: Modernity and the Energetic Turn (ACLA 2025)

The 1920s are a period of profound social, cultural, and technological transformation across the globe. Known as the Roaring Twenties in the US, Goldene Zwanziger in Germany, años locos in Argentina, Les Années Folles in France, or Anni Ruggenti in Italy, the rise of new energy discourses that fundamentally shaped the modern world took place in these years. This seminar seeks to explore the multifaceted representations and implications of energy (oil, coal, electricity, …) in the literature of the 1920s (from Upton Sinclair in the US to Alfred Döblin and Joseph Roth in Germany). By examining how energy as a literal force was depicted in various literary texts, we aim to understand its role in shaping the cultural and intellectual landscapes of the time. Furthermore, by integrating a material perspective, we will examine how the material conditions and infrastructures of energy shaped the lived experiences and cultural expressions of the time.