Z = Zeitgeist

If you can't tell by reading it, 'zeitgeist' is a word that has origins in Germany. It's the idea that ideas of a specific time are influenced by the mood, cultural, and social beliefs of that time.

Zeitgeist is why and how artists and writers do what they do.

Edgar Allan Poe for example, was notorious for writing stories where people were buried alive. A popular fear at the time? Being buried alive. He didn't invent this fear and put it in the peoples' minds. It was something he took from people and implanted into his short stories to make them both more engaging and more horrifying. 

Now me? I'm afraid of spiders so being buried alive isn't half as bad as the idea that I'll wake up in bed some night with a spider crawling up my leg or over my face or in my ear... That's probably enough about me.

More obvious examples of a zeitgeist include George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. George Orwell who saw the start and end of both world wars, wrote about fascism, communism, totalitarianism, censorship and propaganda, and corruption.

Zeitgeist is also how critics do what they do. As a book blogger/reviewer I include myself in that statement. It's important to understand how anything, from an author's life experiences to societal expectations to current events might influence their work. It's also important to be able to decipher these nuances or even detect when there are none.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, for example, stood out to me for its use of parables (not sure if that's really the word I want, but it was something like it) to illustrate racism and its place in American society. I think this should be required reading for schools, right up there with The Giver and 1984.

If you are looking for a lighter read, Gregory Maguire's fantasy The Brides of Maracoor explores life and death; a theme that doesn't seem particularly light but is portrayed by two characters searching for meaning in their own lives. While dying isn't the same fear as being buried alive, we've all wondered about death at one time or another.

Zeitgeist is a very important concept in the creation of any style of art, be it painting or music or writing.

Can you name a book whose underlying theme was inspired by zeitgeist? What was the theme and what do you think is the zeitgeist driving it?