Revisions of the American Adam : innocence, identity and masculinity in twentieth-century America / Jonathan Mitchell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mitchell, Jonathan, 1975- author.

Series:

Continuum literary studies.

Continuum Literary Studies Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

American literature.

Masculinity in literature.

Heroic virtue in literature.

Masculinity in popular culture--United States.

Masculinity in popular culture.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (163 p. ) ill.

Place of Publication:

London, England ; New York, New York : Continuum International Publishing, 2011.

Summary:

This study introduces, conceptualises and examines the American Adam and American Psycho paradigms while focusing on the inter-relations between the two figures.

The figure of the American Adam is a prevalent myth in US cultural history. Defined by R.W.B. Lewis in 1955 as "the hero of new adventure . . .an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self-propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited him with the aid of his own unique and inherent resources", the figure is discernable in the American renaissance writers and in the imagery of the frontiersman, cowboy, gangster as well as in the heroes of US action movies. a Focusing on the American Adam as a paradigm of masculine identity formation, this monograph examines how this fantasy of an imaginary ideal identity has held an ideological sway over US identity in the main. Taking in a range of cultural texts, Jonathan Mitchell's study explores the complexities and contradictions of Adam's aereal' condition of existence to show how the paradigm influences both masculinity and subsequently hegemonic US identity as represented throughout twentieth-century US culture.

Contents:

Acknowledgements \ 1. The Fall, Amongst Other Things \ 2. Postcards from the Frontier \ 3. aeThe Hero in the Modern World' \ 4. From War to Love. . . \ 5. . . . and Back Again \ 6. Embattled America \ Notes \ Bibliography \ Index

Notes:

Formerly CIP.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4411-6952-0