The Paradoxical Meaning of Art in Let us Now Praise Famous Men

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men has been described as a ground-breaking piece of literature, changing the norms of traditional journalism and presenting the real lives of tenant farms in a way which had never been done before. In the book, Agee tells the reader not to regard the book as art, or a novel, but as a representation of real life. He attempts to use words in the novel to convey true meaning, rather than something abstract and unrealistic. However, he often interjects passages of real-life occurrences with pages upon pages of poetic anecdotes. The result is a novel that is truly a work of art, but is only so beautiful because of its attempt not to be so.

When Agee begins to describe the location of the homes in relation to one another, he gives the reader a detailed account of exactly how to get to each home. Even when he describes the households of each family, he does not spare any details. The one thing Agee is truly vague about is the people with which he is living and the happenings of their everyday lives. In his attempt to realistically represent the families, he leaves the reader with passages open to interpretation. For example, when Agee begins to describe George Gudger, he begins a description and then changes his mind, finally stating that he is just a man. Throughout the novel Agee openly admits his inability to do their lives justice, and in the end the reader is left with a book full of poetic passages and imagery rather than anything that can be deemed “real.”

The book is not a documentary that relays the real lives of three tenant families, but a story that can be seen only through the eyes of an artist.