Ruthless democracy : a multicultural interpretation of the American renaissance / Timothy B. Powell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Powell, Timothy B., 1959- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--Minority authors--History and criticism.

American literature.

Literature and society--United States--History--19th century.

Literature and society.

American literature--19th century--History and criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 pages)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2000]

Summary:

In Ruthless Democracy, Timothy Powell reimagines the canonical origins of "American" identity by juxtaposing authors such as Hawthorne, Melville, and Thoreau with Native American, African American, and women authors. Taking his title from Melville, Powell identifies an unresolvable conflict between America's multicultural history and its violent will to monoculturalism. Powell challenges existing perceptions of the American Renaissance--the period at the heart of the American canon and its evolutions--by expanding the parameters of American identity. Drawing on the critical traditions of cultural studies and new historicism, Powell invents a new critical paradigm called "historical multiculturalism." Moving beyond the polarizing rhetoric of the culture wars, Powell grounds his multicultural conception of American identity in careful historical analysis. Ruthless Democracy extends the cultural and geographical boundaries of the American Renaissance beyond the northeast to Indian Territory, Alta California, and the transnational sphere that Powell calls the American Diaspora. Arguing for the inclusion of new works, Powell envisions the canon of the American Renaissance as a fluid dialogue of disparate cultural voices.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Historical Interlude

INTRODUCTION. THEORIZING RUTHLESS DEMOCRACY

PART I: BEYOND NEW ENGLAND

PART II: TOWARD A TRANSNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF "AMERICAN" IDENTITY

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691007304

0691007306

9780691227771

0691227772

OCLC:

1194913389