When Does "Ragtime" (1975) Take Place?
"Ragtime" is a historical fiction novel written by E.L. Doctorow that released July 14th, 1975. So when is "Ragtime" set?
It takes place in the years:
We know this because the very first sentence of chapter one is "In 1902 Father built a house at the crest of the Broadview Avenue hill in New Rochelle, New York." followed soon by, "The family took possession of this stout manse on a sunny day in June and it seemed for some years thereafter that all their days would be warm and fair." So it must be during or after June of 1902 AD at the start.
1906 AD - 1915 AD
We know this because the very first sentence of chapter one is "In 1902 Father built a house at the crest of the Broadview Avenue hill in New Rochelle, New York." followed soon by, "The family took possession of this stout manse on a sunny day in June and it seemed for some years thereafter that all their days would be warm and fair." So it must be during or after June of 1902 AD at the start.
More specifically, very soon afterward the narrator continues, "Teddy Roosevelt was President." and the United States of Americn President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's second term in office ended on March 4th, 1909 AD in the real world. So it must be before March of 1909 AD during the beginning.
Specifically, we read: "In New York City the papers were full of the shooting of the famous architect Stanford White by Harry K. Thaw"... The real-world Harry Kendall Thaw shot and killed the real-world architect Stanford White on June 25, 1906. So it is late June or early July of 1906 AD when the story opens.
At the end of the book, the sinking of the real-world R.M.S. Lusitania is an important plot point and this happened in the real world on May 7th, 1915 AD. So it's May of 1915 AD at the conclusion of the plot.
It was adapted to film in 1981 and as a musical in 1998.
