Revised Lives: Whitman, Religion, and Constructions of Identity in Nineteenth-Century Anglo-American Culture (Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory)

An examination of self-representation in US culture. Drawing on studies of the history of the book, Pierre Bourdieu's sociology, and ethnic and gender revisionism, it focuses on the processes of national development, the self-construction of authorial personae and the appropriation of the personae by interpretive communities.

revised Lives Examines Self-representation In U.s. Culture From The American Revolution Through The Nineteenth Century. Drawing On Studies Of The History Of The Book, Pierre Bourdieu's Sociology, And Ethnic And Gender Revisionism, This Book Focuses On The Processes Of National Development, The Self-construction Of Authorial Personae, And The Appropriation Of The Personae By Interpretive Communities. Special Emphasis Is Given To Walt Whitman, But Other Figures Are Treated At Length: P. T. Barnum, Edward Carpenter, Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, And Edgar Allan Poe. This Study Contributes To The Understanding Of Selfhood In Nineteenth-century American Culture, The Development Of Autobiography As A Genre, And The Dynamics Of Literary Reception.

SCHOLARSHIP ON AMERICAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY DURING THE LAST FORTY YEARS IS itself a rags-to-riches narrative; interest in the subject has expanded rapidly since the early 1960s. This book examines self-representation in US culture from the American Revolution through the nineteenth century.