Chicago Dreaming - Midwesterners and the City, 1871-1919

Drawn to the opportunities generated by an expansive economy, hinterland migrants from the rural Midwest flocked to Chicago during the late nineteenth century. The hopes of these newcomers are the subject of Timothy B. Spears's book "Chicago Dreaming--"the story of Chicago's growth and the transplanted Midwesterners who decisively shaped the young city's identity. Through innovative readings of Theodore Dreiser, Willa Cather, and Richard Wright, Spears argues that the migratory perspective was crucial to the rise of Chicago's emerging literary culture. In following the paths of several well-known migrants, Spears also shows how the view from the hinterland permeated urban culture and informed the development of key Chicago institutions. Further exploring the notion of dreaming, he brings to light the internal desires that lured Midwestern migrants to the city as well as the nostalgia that led them to dream of the homes they left behind.