"Love's Labour's Lost (c. 1594-95) is considered one of Shakespeare's minor comedies. Ferdinand, king of Navarre, and his lords Berowne, Longaville, and Dumaine pledge to eschew women and other worldly pleasures for three years in order to pursue a rigorous regime of study, hoping to acquire wisdom and fame. Their oath is immediately tested when the princess of France and her ladies Rosaline, Maria, and Katharine arrive on a diplomatic mission. One by one, the men break their vows and fall in love, only to learn at the conclusion of the play that the princess's father has died. With this intrusion of reality into the charmed world of Navarre, the ladies depart and impose a year's separation from their suitors to test their sincerity and eligibility. Some critics view Love's Labour'sLost as Shakespeare's worst play, and often deride it for haphazard characterization and a weak plot. Critics identify central thematic concerns of the play to be courtly love and the relationship between illusion and reality."
- Michelle Lee, from vol.98 of Shakespearean Criticism (2006)
**ebook**
A book from 1940 intended to guide a father talking with his son as he grows up about life's issues. It includes topics like dealing with parents, personal habits, friendship, dating, citizenship, education, work, etc.
**streaming video**
A film from 1949 that was intended to help young men learn how to date, interact with girls, etc. A great look at the societal expectations of the day and what boys and girls should do.
**ebook**
A primary source book with dating advice for young adults. Includes lots of information about societal expectations for gender norms and the building of romantic relationships.
**ebook**
A primary source career guide book for girls still trying to figure out what to do "when they grow up." It's full of standard expectations and gender norms and covers careers like working in a library, social service, interior decoration, entertainment, beauty culture, etc.
**ebook**
A primary source book that gives advice to young men on what is society expects of them and how to get ahead in life. It covers topics like dating, breaking the ice, how to be popular, how to hold a conversation, how to dress, going to college, etc.
**ebook**
A primary source book for women with advice on how to be beautiful. It includes information on how to look at oneself through "a man's eyes" and then make changes accordingly, how to diet, stay fit, do one's make-up/hair/clothing/etc, and includes general beauty hints.
**streaming video**
In little more than ten years, immense new forces were unleashed in New York, from the Depression itself to the New Deal, which permanently altered the city and the country.
**ebook**
A primary source book on manners and customs common to the 1940s. Includes a wide range of information on topics like everyday essentials, being introduced, one's speaking voice, letter writing (both personal and business), eating technique, telephone courtesy, etc.
**physical book**
Easy to approach, practical information about what it was like to live in the USA during the 40s and 50s. Covers topics like community/family; science/technology; changing social attitudes, etc. Recommended reading: 1940s (p.3-74)
**streaming video**
Utilizing a vast collection of home movies found at flea markets and yard sales, as well as oral histories and family recordings from the 1920s to the 1950s, the filmmaker weaves together a remarkable and emotionally electrifying portrait of the changing face of the American family. These authentic artifacts of American history and culture are edited together to illustrate the entire cycle of life from birth to death, from childhood to adulthood, to provide a moving experience of the universal drama of family life during the first half of the twentieth century.
**ebook**
A primary source from 1945 that attempts to help returning soldiers integrate back into society. It provides an eye-opening account of what soldiers were being told to do and get over, rather than actually deal with. Includes chapters like: Study War No More; How to Get Acquainted with your Family and Friends; The ONLY Girl; The School Bell and the Cash Register; Your Handicap--Face it and Forget it, etc.
**physical book**
Covers many different topics about life in the US during the 1940s. Includes chapters about the war's influence on society, beauty standards, sports, society, theatre, literature, etc. Very heavily illustrated.
A guidebook from 1949 to teach managers how to better lead their employees. This primary source is a treasure trove of the middle manager's mindset from this period of time.
Chapters include: It's a Big Job; The Days Ahead; Understanding People; Learning to Lead; Lessons in Leadership; How to Build Employee Morale; How to Deal with People; How to Handle Problems; Tips on Problems you Face; How to Induct and Train Employees.
A primary source from 1941 that provides a look into how people thought at this time about getting a job and work culture. Includes chapters like: The Job Market Today; How to Get a Job Interview; Landing Your Job; Getting Ahead on the Job, etc.
**streaming video**
An instructional movie from 1949 about how to stay employed. It covers topics like choosing the right job, getting along with colleagues, maintain a positive attitude, etc.
**print reference book**
Overview of women in the workplace with large amount of historical and sociological information. Recommended readings: Women's Rising Labor Force Participation in the United States (p.14-17); Discrimination and Sex Segregation (p.34-38); 1940s Chronology (p.121-125);
**print reference book**
Comprehensive overview of historical work culture in America. Encyclopedia arranged in alphabetical order. Recommended articles include: Women and work (p.600 in vol.2); Working class (p.653 in vol.2); Timeline of the American Workforce (p.667 in vol.2); Rosie the Riveter (p.473 in vol.2)
**print reference book**
Interesting book that gives profiles of an imagined worker in different times and places. Gives information on their work life, home life, social life, cost, wages, etc. Of particular interest is 1940-1949 (p.272-317).
**online article**
From Shakesepare Criticism Online. An excellent introduction to the main themes, allusions, etc. one encounters in the play. Includes excellent references to more specific resources.
**online article**
An examination of how Love's Labour's Lost subverts the societal norm of men instructing their wives with the female protagonists instead instructing the men.
**physical book**
A guide to the many different puns and other difficult bits of language found throughout this play. Puts them both into contemporaneous and contemporary context.