American utopia and social engineering in literature, social thought, and political history / Peter Swirski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Swirski, Peter, 1966-

Series:

Routledge transnational perspectives on American literature ; 15.

Routledge transnational perspectives on American literature ; 15

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

American fiction.

Political fiction, American--History and criticism.

Political fiction, American.

Utopias in literature.

Social control in literature.

National characteristics, American, in literature.

Exceptionalism--United States.

Exceptionalism.

Social engineering.

History.

United States.

Social engineering--United States--History--20th century.

Political culture--United States--History--20th century.

Political culture.

Literature and society--United States--History--20th century.

Literature and society.

Politics and literature--United States--History--20th century.

Politics and literature.

Physical Description:

xiii, 255 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2011.

Contents:

Introduction: life is more important than art or social engineering, eutopia, and evolution

How I stopped worrying and loved behavioural engineering, or communal life, adaptations, and B.F. Skinner's Walden two

You're not in Canada until you can hear the loons crying, or voting, people's power, and Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest

You'll never make a monkey out of me, or altruism, proverbial wisdom, and Bernard Malamud's God's grace

We better kill the instinct to kill before it kills us, or violence, mind control, and Walker Percy's The Thanatos syndrome

It can't happen here, or politics, emotions, and Philip Roth's The plot against America.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415891929

0415891922

9780203816615

0203816617

OCLC:

671700668