Lincoln's body : a cultural history

**Even two hundred years after Abraham Lincoln's death, we, like Walt Whitman, "love the President personally."** In a stunning feat of scholarship, insight, and engaging prose, __Lincoln's Body__ explores how a president ungainly in body and downright "ugly" of aspect came to mean so much to us. The very roughness of Lincoln's appearance made him seem all the more common, one of us―as did his sense of humor about his own awkward physical nature. Nineteenth-century African Americans felt deep affection for their "liberator" as a "homely" man who did not hold himself apart. During Reconstruction, Southerners felt a nostalgia for the humility of Lincoln, whom they envisioned as a "conciliator." Later, teachers glorified Lincoln as a symbol of nationhood that would appeal to poor immigrants. Monument makers focused not only on the man’s gigantic body but also on his nationalist efforts to save the Union, downplaying his emancipation of the slaves. Among both black and white liberals in the 1960s and 1970s, Lincoln was derided or fell out of fashion. More recently, Lincoln has once again been embodied (as both idealist and pragmatist, unafraid of conflict and transcending it) by outstanding historians, by self-identified Lincolnian president Barack Obama, and by actor Daniel Day-Lewis―all keeping Lincoln alive in a body of memory that speaks volumes about our nation. 35 illustrations Lincoln's Body Explores How A President Ungainly In Body And Downright Ugly Of Aspect Came To Mean So Much To Us.the Very Roughness Of Lincoln's Appearance Made Him Seem All The More Common, One Of Us--as Did His Sense Of Humor About His Own Awkward Physical Nature. Part I. The Public Body (1840-1865) -- Lincoln's Body Politic -- Last Words, Last Breath -- The Martyr And His Relics -- African Americans And Their Emancipator -- Rolling Funeral, Living Corpse -- Part Ii. The Enshrined Body (1865-1909) -- The First Lincoln Memorials -- Monuments For The Ages -- Black Emancipation, White Reunion -- Celebrating The Centenary Of 1909 -- Part Iii. The National Body (1909-2015) -- Solidifying The Lincoln Cult: Two Memorials -- The Hero On Screen, From Griffith To Gage -- Standing In Lincoln's Shadow -- Reviving The Emancipator -- Lincoln Sightings At The Bicentenary: Obama, Disney, Spielberg. Richard Wightman Fox. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "[A]n astonishingly interesting interpretation...Fox is wonderfully shrewd and often dazzling." —Jill Lepore, New York Times Book Review Abraham Lincoln remains America's most beloved leader. The fact that he was lampooned in his day as "ugly and grotesque" only made Lincoln more endearing to millions. In Lincoln's Body, acclaimed cultural historian Richard Wightman Fox explores how deeply, and how differently, Americans—black and white, male and female, Northern and Southern—have valued our sixteenth president, from his own lifetime to the Hollywood biopics about him. Lincoln continues to survive in a body of memory that speaks volumes about our nation. "In 2013, the Independent Local Government Review Panel (Review Panel) made a number of recommendations to reform the local government system in NSW. The Review Panel found that there are an unsustainably high number of councils in NSW and that many are financially unsustainable. The NSW Government has decided to reform local government by creating councils that are strategic and 'fit for the future'. This report presents our assessment of the criteria." -- page 1