Three extra entries

These are my reactions to the first three sets of readings from our class.

Number 1:

The most important theme that resonates throughout these articles is that of the subversive nature of Washington Square Park. The park began as a symbol of wealth, as indicated in Henry James’ famous novel Washington Square. However, as Greenwich Village began to become infiltrated by artists and musicians seeking a way of life that differed from the mainstream, the park became the centralized location for all of their subversive actions.

For years, Washington Square Park has come to symbolize subculture and creativity in ways that other locations in New York never could. It is the quintessential symbol for all things bohemian: artistic movements, music, drugs, and a general apathy towards the societal system at hand. Beginning with Robert Henri and his artistic following in the early 1900’s, and continuing on through the 60’s with Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground, the park itself has become both a physical and metaphorical place ripe with anti-establishment notions.
The importance of this subculture in New York’s artistic and literary history introduces another important theme that arose in these readings: the distinct desire of the educated population to preserve everything the park stands for, and not let it fall into the hands of the establishment that the artists who made it a bohemian paradise fought so strongly against.
As a student at NYU, I am torn between wanting to adopt the park as part of my campus, but also appreciating it for its historical and artistic importance. I understand the desire of the people who have settled in Greenwich Village to protect it from the growing encroachment of NYU’s expansion endeavors. However, I do believe there is a middle ground; I think that middle ground was crossed when New York City decided to revamp the park.

In the past, NYU has done a good job in maintaining the natural look and feel of the park. Its diversity is wholly appealing to me in so many ways; there are drug dealers and students and businessmen and homeless people who all mix together to enjoy the park experience. I believe that by redoing the park, something is lost. Unfortunately, I don’t believe any of us will be able to articulate what exactly that is until the restoration process is completed.

What started as something subversive and bohemian may end up falling into the clutches of the very establishment that the park’s early champions despised. The important part is that we remember what the park stands for, even if its physical appearance changes. Its history of art and music is something that cannot be repaved.

Number 2:

The archaeological report on the previous and upcoming renovation projects on historical Washington Square Park brings to light the park’s dark and fascinating history. Once a graveyard called Potter’s field, thousands of bodies lay beneath it, having decomposed while the park changed hands between various wealthy private investors. The archaeological report attempts to deconstruct this complicated financial history in an effort to understand which parts of the park should be preserved during the renovation.

This is important because it stands as a blatant attempt at compromise between the two sides fighting over Washington Square Park’s future. By doing copious amounts of research in order to determine which parts of the park are the most sacred, the politicians in charge are reaching out a hand to the public who wishes for the park to remain in tact so as to preserve its rich cultural history. If the renovators of the park can retool it to make it a nicer place to be, while still preserving its natural history and important areas, then perhaps these two sides can reach an agreement.

The people against the renovation of the park cite primarily its rich cultural history as their main motive for wanting to keep it the same. The park has always been a center of subversive behavior, as demonstrated in “Max Eastman and The Masses” from Republic of Dreams by Ross Wetzsteon. The Masses was a political and social publication that combined ideas of anarchism, communism, socialism and general apathy towards the mainstream in order to galvanize support from fringe artists and writers to fight for the counterculture. The Masses represents the importance of Washington Square in beginning to construct a counterculture that eventually blossomed into the mainstream with musicians such as Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground and artists like Andy Warhol.

Though The Masses was eventually shut down by governmental organizations, and though its popularity never skyrocketed due to its confused focus and theses, it still serves as an interesting representation of the growing counterculture movements in the early 20th century.

Number 3

Chapter 4 of Republic of Dreams was extremely interesting for me, especially because I am working on an independent study project this semester that examines feminism and subculture in the media. One of the disappointing things about the subculture that emerged from Washington Square Park was the seeming lack of female participation. That, coupled with the way women are treated in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, presents a grim outlook for women of the anti-establishment movement.

But Republic of Dreams tells a different story that paints women in a much more favorable light. Many different women played roles in developing the subculture movements around the park in the 1910’s: whether it be from disseminating information on birth control and free love, dressing differently to avoid female dress stereotypes, or holding political rallies in their homes, the women of this era are the true unsung heroes.

On the Road is going well; I read it for the first time when I was 15, but it’s great to revisit it with a more comprehensive knowledge of the beat generation. Jack Kerouac was the person who made me want to be a writer, made me want to move to New York, made me so interested in subculture; I definitely think On the Road is an extremely key work in the exploration of Washington Square Park and the movements connected to it.

-Jessica Roy