Author: Steve Robitaille
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480893145
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 440
Book Description
Childhood friends Jimmy Lemond and Peter LeBlanc grow into adulthood during the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War. Like Herman Melville’s character, Bartleby, they both “prefer not to” take up arms, but they still can’t avoid turmoil. Jimmy is a student journalist who soon finds himself on the front lines of protests, where his fellow students not only demand an end to war but also the end of racism and segregation in their college community. Peter is still haunted by his father’s death on an ill-fated fishing trip. He joins the Mennonites in Vietnam as a peace worker. Through his relationship with a Thai woman he is introduced to the Mother Goddess ceremony and finds spiritual confirmation of his gender transformation. What an intriguing and unexpected tale Robitaille gives us. Bartleby’s Revenge kept me turning pages. The novel engages themes I care about a great deal, specifically those of peacemaking in response to war and of personality development through all the vicissitudes of social forces swirling around us. The story brought home for me in a renewed way the impact of the American War in Vietnam on individuals and families here in the US, particularly those with children facing the draft. For me as a Mennonite peacemaker, the draft was a welcome thing that midwifed me from a sheltered life here to years of peace work in Vietnam during the war, a path similar to that of one of the protagonist’s in the novel. —Earl Martin, author of Reaching the Other Side (1978), memoir of Mennonite peace work service in Vietnam I loved it. The pairing of Peter and Jimmy is a beautiful framework; their divergence and reunion are really engaging. They achieve a reconciliation without sentimentality, predictability, or compromise of their richly developed characters. —William C. Lineaweaver, MD, Editor in Chief, Annals of Plastic Surgery ... That a son of New Bedford imagines his life and the biography of his generation through the lens of Melville’s Bartleby is a moving exemplar of a mystory, testing in novel form Nietzsche’s insight, that life is the iron hand of necessity shaking the dice box of chance. —Gregory Ulmer, Professor of English, University of Florida and author of Teletheory and Internet Invention
Bartleby's Revenge
Author: Steve Robitaille
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480893145
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 440
Book Description
Childhood friends Jimmy Lemond and Peter LeBlanc grow into adulthood during the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War. Like Herman Melville’s character, Bartleby, they both “prefer not to” take up arms, but they still can’t avoid turmoil. Jimmy is a student journalist who soon finds himself on the front lines of protests, where his fellow students not only demand an end to war but also the end of racism and segregation in their college community. Peter is still haunted by his father’s death on an ill-fated fishing trip. He joins the Mennonites in Vietnam as a peace worker. Through his relationship with a Thai woman he is introduced to the Mother Goddess ceremony and finds spiritual confirmation of his gender transformation. What an intriguing and unexpected tale Robitaille gives us. Bartleby’s Revenge kept me turning pages. The novel engages themes I care about a great deal, specifically those of peacemaking in response to war and of personality development through all the vicissitudes of social forces swirling around us. The story brought home for me in a renewed way the impact of the American War in Vietnam on individuals and families here in the US, particularly those with children facing the draft. For me as a Mennonite peacemaker, the draft was a welcome thing that midwifed me from a sheltered life here to years of peace work in Vietnam during the war, a path similar to that of one of the protagonist’s in the novel. —Earl Martin, author of Reaching the Other Side (1978), memoir of Mennonite peace work service in Vietnam I loved it. The pairing of Peter and Jimmy is a beautiful framework; their divergence and reunion are really engaging. They achieve a reconciliation without sentimentality, predictability, or compromise of their richly developed characters. —William C. Lineaweaver, MD, Editor in Chief, Annals of Plastic Surgery ... That a son of New Bedford imagines his life and the biography of his generation through the lens of Melville’s Bartleby is a moving exemplar of a mystory, testing in novel form Nietzsche’s insight, that life is the iron hand of necessity shaking the dice box of chance. —Gregory Ulmer, Professor of English, University of Florida and author of Teletheory and Internet Invention
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480893145
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 440
Book Description
Childhood friends Jimmy Lemond and Peter LeBlanc grow into adulthood during the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War. Like Herman Melville’s character, Bartleby, they both “prefer not to” take up arms, but they still can’t avoid turmoil. Jimmy is a student journalist who soon finds himself on the front lines of protests, where his fellow students not only demand an end to war but also the end of racism and segregation in their college community. Peter is still haunted by his father’s death on an ill-fated fishing trip. He joins the Mennonites in Vietnam as a peace worker. Through his relationship with a Thai woman he is introduced to the Mother Goddess ceremony and finds spiritual confirmation of his gender transformation. What an intriguing and unexpected tale Robitaille gives us. Bartleby’s Revenge kept me turning pages. The novel engages themes I care about a great deal, specifically those of peacemaking in response to war and of personality development through all the vicissitudes of social forces swirling around us. The story brought home for me in a renewed way the impact of the American War in Vietnam on individuals and families here in the US, particularly those with children facing the draft. For me as a Mennonite peacemaker, the draft was a welcome thing that midwifed me from a sheltered life here to years of peace work in Vietnam during the war, a path similar to that of one of the protagonist’s in the novel. —Earl Martin, author of Reaching the Other Side (1978), memoir of Mennonite peace work service in Vietnam I loved it. The pairing of Peter and Jimmy is a beautiful framework; their divergence and reunion are really engaging. They achieve a reconciliation without sentimentality, predictability, or compromise of their richly developed characters. —William C. Lineaweaver, MD, Editor in Chief, Annals of Plastic Surgery ... That a son of New Bedford imagines his life and the biography of his generation through the lens of Melville’s Bartleby is a moving exemplar of a mystory, testing in novel form Nietzsche’s insight, that life is the iron hand of necessity shaking the dice box of chance. —Gregory Ulmer, Professor of English, University of Florida and author of Teletheory and Internet Invention
Catholics in the Movies
Author: Colleen McDannell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195306569
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
The common admission that "everything I know about religion I learned from the movies" is true for believers as much as for unbelievers. And at the movies, Catholicism is the American religion. As an intensely visual faith with a well-defined ritual and authority structure, Catholicism lends itself to the drama and pageantry of film. Beginning with the silent era of film and ending with movies today, eleven prominent scholars explore how Catholic characters, spaces, and rituals are represented in cinema.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195306569
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
The common admission that "everything I know about religion I learned from the movies" is true for believers as much as for unbelievers. And at the movies, Catholicism is the American religion. As an intensely visual faith with a well-defined ritual and authority structure, Catholicism lends itself to the drama and pageantry of film. Beginning with the silent era of film and ending with movies today, eleven prominent scholars explore how Catholic characters, spaces, and rituals are represented in cinema.
CliffsNotes on Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener & Benito Cereno
Author: Mary Ellen Snodgrass
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0544179811
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 59
Book Description
This CliffsNotes guide includes everything you’ve come to expect from the trusted experts at CliffsNotes, including analysis of the most widely read literary works.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0544179811
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 59
Book Description
This CliffsNotes guide includes everything you’ve come to expect from the trusted experts at CliffsNotes, including analysis of the most widely read literary works.
The Rookery Rogues
Author: Erica Monroe
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1057
Book Description
DARK, SEXY, EMOTIONAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE Boxed set containing books 1-3 of the historical romantic suspense series, The Rookery Rogues, set in pre-Victorian working-class London A Dangerous Invitation (Book 1) Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan is now a fence for stolen goods in the rookeries. The last man she expects to see again is Daniel O'Reilly, who swore to love her but instead fled amidst accusations of murder. One drunken night cost Daniel everything. To win back the life he had, he must prove he's innocent of murder and convince Kate he's no longer a scoundrel. Secrets in Scarlet (Book 2) Poppy O'Reilly has crafted a new life in the Spitalfields rookery for herself and her young daughter, one that depends on keeping her past hidden. But when the murder of a fellow factory worker brings Sergeant Thaddeus Knight of the Metropolitan Police into her life, the very man who could discover her past is the one she can't live without. Beauty and the Rake (Book 3) Abigail Vautille dreamed of escaping Whitechapel, until a tragic incident left her scarred and penniless. Now to save her family from debtor's prison, she strikes a bargain with the rogue who owns her father's debts: for two weeks, she'll give him her body, but not her heart. But Inspector Michael Strickland sees the beauty inside her, not the beast she believes herself to be. Scoundrels, thieves, and rebels inhabit the rookeries--where the women are fierce and the men are dangerous. Are you willing to take the risk?
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1057
Book Description
DARK, SEXY, EMOTIONAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE Boxed set containing books 1-3 of the historical romantic suspense series, The Rookery Rogues, set in pre-Victorian working-class London A Dangerous Invitation (Book 1) Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan is now a fence for stolen goods in the rookeries. The last man she expects to see again is Daniel O'Reilly, who swore to love her but instead fled amidst accusations of murder. One drunken night cost Daniel everything. To win back the life he had, he must prove he's innocent of murder and convince Kate he's no longer a scoundrel. Secrets in Scarlet (Book 2) Poppy O'Reilly has crafted a new life in the Spitalfields rookery for herself and her young daughter, one that depends on keeping her past hidden. But when the murder of a fellow factory worker brings Sergeant Thaddeus Knight of the Metropolitan Police into her life, the very man who could discover her past is the one she can't live without. Beauty and the Rake (Book 3) Abigail Vautille dreamed of escaping Whitechapel, until a tragic incident left her scarred and penniless. Now to save her family from debtor's prison, she strikes a bargain with the rogue who owns her father's debts: for two weeks, she'll give him her body, but not her heart. But Inspector Michael Strickland sees the beauty inside her, not the beast she believes herself to be. Scoundrels, thieves, and rebels inhabit the rookeries--where the women are fierce and the men are dangerous. Are you willing to take the risk?
Suspenseful Starts
Author: Erica Monroe
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 664
Book Description
DARK, DANGEROUS, EMOTIONAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE Join dashing heroes, scandalous scoundrels, and rebellious women in USA Today Bestselling Author Erica Monroe's suspenseful historical romance series: Covert Heiresses and The Rookery Rogues. Meet the COVERT HEIRESSES: women who by day are the talk of the ton, and by night England's top spies. I SPY A DUKE SHE WANTS REVENGE When bluestocking Vivian Loren becomes the governess for the wealthy Spencer family, she's hunting for clues about the murder of her brother, not romance. But Vivian didn't count on one thing: James Spencer, the intrepid Duke of Abermont, who has a tortured past of his own. HE NEEDS A WIFE As head of Britain's elite intelligence agency, James can't afford the scrutiny the Marriage Mart would bring to his family once the Season starts. After discovering Vivian's quest for vengeance has made her a pawn in a treacherous plot of one of Napoleon's most deadly spies, James realizes they can help each other. She'll become his duchess, and he'll keep her safe. What begins as a marriage of convenience quickly becomes anything but as secrets surface. When both husband and wife have dark secrets, love may be the most dangerous mission of all. THE ROOKERY ROGUES features thieves, Metropolitan Police Officers, and hellions in the gritty London underworld. A DANGEROUS INVITATION SHE'S GIVEN UP ON LOVE, AND WANTS ONLY INDEPENDENCE... Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan survives in London's dark and depraved rookeries as a fence for stolen goods. The last man she ever expects, or wants, to be reunited with is her first love, who promised to cherish, honor and protect her, and instead fled amidst accusations of murder. HE'S THE REFORMED RAKE DETERMINED TO WIN HER BACK. One drunken night cost Daniel O'Reilly the woman he loved. If he ever wants to reclaim Kate--and his old life--he'll not only have to prove he's innocent of murder, but convince the pistol-wielding spitfire that he's no longer the scoundrel he once was. Together, they'll have to face a killer. Time is running out...
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 664
Book Description
DARK, DANGEROUS, EMOTIONAL HISTORICAL ROMANCE Join dashing heroes, scandalous scoundrels, and rebellious women in USA Today Bestselling Author Erica Monroe's suspenseful historical romance series: Covert Heiresses and The Rookery Rogues. Meet the COVERT HEIRESSES: women who by day are the talk of the ton, and by night England's top spies. I SPY A DUKE SHE WANTS REVENGE When bluestocking Vivian Loren becomes the governess for the wealthy Spencer family, she's hunting for clues about the murder of her brother, not romance. But Vivian didn't count on one thing: James Spencer, the intrepid Duke of Abermont, who has a tortured past of his own. HE NEEDS A WIFE As head of Britain's elite intelligence agency, James can't afford the scrutiny the Marriage Mart would bring to his family once the Season starts. After discovering Vivian's quest for vengeance has made her a pawn in a treacherous plot of one of Napoleon's most deadly spies, James realizes they can help each other. She'll become his duchess, and he'll keep her safe. What begins as a marriage of convenience quickly becomes anything but as secrets surface. When both husband and wife have dark secrets, love may be the most dangerous mission of all. THE ROOKERY ROGUES features thieves, Metropolitan Police Officers, and hellions in the gritty London underworld. A DANGEROUS INVITATION SHE'S GIVEN UP ON LOVE, AND WANTS ONLY INDEPENDENCE... Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan survives in London's dark and depraved rookeries as a fence for stolen goods. The last man she ever expects, or wants, to be reunited with is her first love, who promised to cherish, honor and protect her, and instead fled amidst accusations of murder. HE'S THE REFORMED RAKE DETERMINED TO WIN HER BACK. One drunken night cost Daniel O'Reilly the woman he loved. If he ever wants to reclaim Kate--and his old life--he'll not only have to prove he's innocent of murder, but convince the pistol-wielding spitfire that he's no longer the scoundrel he once was. Together, they'll have to face a killer. Time is running out...
A Dangerous Invitation
Author: Erica Monroe
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
Scoundrels, thieves, and rebels inhabit the rookeries--where dangerous men fall in love with fierce women. SHE'S GIVEN UP ON LOVE AND WANTS ONLY INDEPENDENCE... Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan survives in London's dark and depraved rookeries as a fence for stolen goods. The last man she ever expects--or wants--to be reunited with is her first love, who promised to cherish, honor, and protect her, and instead fled amidst accusations of murder. HE'S THE REFORMED RAKE DETERMINED TO WIN HER BACK. One drunken night cost Daniel O'Reilly the woman he loved. If he ever wants to reclaim Kate--and his old life--he'll not only have to prove he's innocent of murder but convince the pistol-wielding hellion that he's no longer the scoundrel he once was. Together, they'll have to face a killer. Time is running out... ---------------------- *2014 Daphne du Maurier Excellence in Romantic Suspense Finalist in Published Historical Romance* Note: A Dangerous Invitation is a dark, gritty, and steamy (on-page sex scenes) romantic suspense about the working class of pre-Victorian England, taking place in the London underworld. It is a full-length standalone historical romance and is book one in the Rookery Rogues series.
Publisher: Quillfire Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
Scoundrels, thieves, and rebels inhabit the rookeries--where dangerous men fall in love with fierce women. SHE'S GIVEN UP ON LOVE AND WANTS ONLY INDEPENDENCE... Torn from her life of privilege by her father's death, Kate Morgan survives in London's dark and depraved rookeries as a fence for stolen goods. The last man she ever expects--or wants--to be reunited with is her first love, who promised to cherish, honor, and protect her, and instead fled amidst accusations of murder. HE'S THE REFORMED RAKE DETERMINED TO WIN HER BACK. One drunken night cost Daniel O'Reilly the woman he loved. If he ever wants to reclaim Kate--and his old life--he'll not only have to prove he's innocent of murder but convince the pistol-wielding hellion that he's no longer the scoundrel he once was. Together, they'll have to face a killer. Time is running out... ---------------------- *2014 Daphne du Maurier Excellence in Romantic Suspense Finalist in Published Historical Romance* Note: A Dangerous Invitation is a dark, gritty, and steamy (on-page sex scenes) romantic suspense about the working class of pre-Victorian England, taking place in the London underworld. It is a full-length standalone historical romance and is book one in the Rookery Rogues series.
Bartleby's Beowulf: Enigmatic Tales from Melville to Ancient Legends (Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville/ The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke/ The Story of Beowulf, Translated from Anglo-Saxon into Modern English Prose by Ernest J. B. Kirtlan)
Author: Herman Melville
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
Book 1: Enter the enigmatic world of Wall Street with “ Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville .” Herman Melville crafts a compelling narrative that explores the peculiar life of Bartleby, a scrivener who responds to work requests with the perplexing phrase "I would prefer not to." Melville's tale delves into themes of isolation, societal expectations, and the human condition within the confines of corporate culture. Book 2: Experience the journey of compassion and sacrifice in “ The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke .” Henry Van Dyke unfolds the heartwarming tale of Artaban, the fourth wise man, who embarks on a quest to find the newborn King of Kings. This poignant story of selflessness and devotion explores the transformative power of kindness and the pursuit of a higher purpose. Book 3: Step into the heroic world of warriors and monsters with “ The Story of Beowulf, Translated from Anglo-Saxon into Modern English Prose by Ernest J. B. Kirtlan .” Ernest J. B. Kirtlan brings the epic poem of Beowulf to life in accessible modern English prose. Join Beowulf in his legendary battles against Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, as this timeless tale explores themes of heroism, honor, and the inevitable clash between good and evil.
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 191
Book Description
Book 1: Enter the enigmatic world of Wall Street with “ Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville .” Herman Melville crafts a compelling narrative that explores the peculiar life of Bartleby, a scrivener who responds to work requests with the perplexing phrase "I would prefer not to." Melville's tale delves into themes of isolation, societal expectations, and the human condition within the confines of corporate culture. Book 2: Experience the journey of compassion and sacrifice in “ The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke .” Henry Van Dyke unfolds the heartwarming tale of Artaban, the fourth wise man, who embarks on a quest to find the newborn King of Kings. This poignant story of selflessness and devotion explores the transformative power of kindness and the pursuit of a higher purpose. Book 3: Step into the heroic world of warriors and monsters with “ The Story of Beowulf, Translated from Anglo-Saxon into Modern English Prose by Ernest J. B. Kirtlan .” Ernest J. B. Kirtlan brings the epic poem of Beowulf to life in accessible modern English prose. Join Beowulf in his legendary battles against Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, as this timeless tale explores themes of heroism, honor, and the inevitable clash between good and evil.
Existential America
Author: George Cotkin
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801870378
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
"As Cotkin shows, not only did Americans readily take to existentialism, but they were already heirs to a rich tradition of thinkers - from Jonathan Edwards and Herman Melville to Emily Dickinson and William James - who had wrestled with the problems of existence and the contingency of the world long before Sartre and his colleagues. After introducing the concept of an American existential tradition, Cotkin examines how formal existentialism first arrived in America in the 1930s through discussion of Kierkegaard and the early vogue among New York intellectuals for the works of Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus.
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801870378
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
"As Cotkin shows, not only did Americans readily take to existentialism, but they were already heirs to a rich tradition of thinkers - from Jonathan Edwards and Herman Melville to Emily Dickinson and William James - who had wrestled with the problems of existence and the contingency of the world long before Sartre and his colleagues. After introducing the concept of an American existential tradition, Cotkin examines how formal existentialism first arrived in America in the 1930s through discussion of Kierkegaard and the early vogue among New York intellectuals for the works of Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus.
Idle Threats
Author: Andrew Lyndon Knighton
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814748902
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255
Book Description
The 19th century witnessed an explosion of writing about unproductivity, with the exploits of various idlers, loafers, and “gentlemen of refinement” capturing the imagination o fa country that was deeply ambivalent about its work ethic. Idle Threats documents this American obsession with unproductivity and its potentials, while offering an explanation of the profound significance of idle practices for literary and cultural production. While this fascination with unproductivity memorably defined literary characters from Rip Van Winkle to Bartleby to George Hurstwood, it also reverberated deeply through the entire culture, both as a seductive ideal and as a potentially corrosive threat to upright, industrious American men. Drawing on an impressive array of archival material and multifaceted literary and cultural sources, Idle Threats connects the question of unproductivity to other discourses concerning manhood, the value of art, the allure of the frontier, the usefulness of knowledge,the meaning of individuality, and the experience of time, space, and history. Andrew Lyndon Knighton offers a new way of thinking about the largely unacknowledged “productivity of the unproductive,” revealing the incalculable and sometimes surprising ways in which American modernity transformed the relationship between subjects and that which is most intimate to them: their own activity.
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814748902
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255
Book Description
The 19th century witnessed an explosion of writing about unproductivity, with the exploits of various idlers, loafers, and “gentlemen of refinement” capturing the imagination o fa country that was deeply ambivalent about its work ethic. Idle Threats documents this American obsession with unproductivity and its potentials, while offering an explanation of the profound significance of idle practices for literary and cultural production. While this fascination with unproductivity memorably defined literary characters from Rip Van Winkle to Bartleby to George Hurstwood, it also reverberated deeply through the entire culture, both as a seductive ideal and as a potentially corrosive threat to upright, industrious American men. Drawing on an impressive array of archival material and multifaceted literary and cultural sources, Idle Threats connects the question of unproductivity to other discourses concerning manhood, the value of art, the allure of the frontier, the usefulness of knowledge,the meaning of individuality, and the experience of time, space, and history. Andrew Lyndon Knighton offers a new way of thinking about the largely unacknowledged “productivity of the unproductive,” revealing the incalculable and sometimes surprising ways in which American modernity transformed the relationship between subjects and that which is most intimate to them: their own activity.
Fictions of Mass Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America
Author: Stacey Margolis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316381366
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Fictions of Mass Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America examines how mass democracy was understood before public opinion could be measured by polls. It argues that fiction, in its freedom to represent what resists representation, develops the most groundbreaking theories of the democratic public. These literary accounts of democracy focus less on overt pubic action than the profound effects of everyday social encounters. This book thus departs from recent scholarship, which emphasizes the responsibilities of citizenship and the achievements of oppositional social movements. It demonstrates how novels and stories by Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Fanny Fern, Harriet Jacobs and James Fenimore Cooper attempt to understand a public organized not only by explicitly political discourse, but by informal and disorganized social networks.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316381366
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Fictions of Mass Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America examines how mass democracy was understood before public opinion could be measured by polls. It argues that fiction, in its freedom to represent what resists representation, develops the most groundbreaking theories of the democratic public. These literary accounts of democracy focus less on overt pubic action than the profound effects of everyday social encounters. This book thus departs from recent scholarship, which emphasizes the responsibilities of citizenship and the achievements of oppositional social movements. It demonstrates how novels and stories by Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Fanny Fern, Harriet Jacobs and James Fenimore Cooper attempt to understand a public organized not only by explicitly political discourse, but by informal and disorganized social networks.