The National Album: Collective Biography and the Formation of the Canadian Middle Class (Carleton Library Series) (Volume 186)

This Unique Study Draws On Biographical Dictionaries As A Collective Portrait Of The Emerging Canadian Middle Class In The Last Half Of The Nineteenth Century. The Works Compiled By Henry James Morgan, George Maclean Rose, And William Cochrane, And Published Between 1862 And 1903, Reveal Not Only The Life-course Patterns Of Representative Canadians, But Personal And Social Motivations Driving The Selection Process. The Complex Of Occupation, Mobility And Opportunity, Networking, The Meaning Of Success, And Contrasts Between The Representation Of Men And Women, Are Analyzed With An Eye To The Structure Of Feeling That Characterized Canadian Culture And National Consciousness In This Period. The National Album Is A Major Contribution To Canadian Studies, Particularly To The Flourishing Interest In Biography And Autobiography And To The Interdisciplinary Field Of Historical Sociology.--jacket. The Role Of Biography In Social And Historical Studies. Biography And History, People And Cultures. Historical Sociology And Collective Biography -- 2. The Victorian Context. The Progress Of Canadian Culture. The Meaning Of Democracy And Equality In A Developing Culture. Success. Character As A Bridge For Social Change. Samuel Smiles And The Sanctity Of Individual Effort. Phrenology: Physiognomy As An Image Of Social Place -- 3. The Biographers At Work. The Proper Data For The Object Lesson. Creating A Biographical Dictionary: Morgan's Method. The Basic Data Of Biographical Representation. Three Representative Men -- 4. Social Mobility And Group Affiliation. Horizontal Mobility As The Retention Of Generational Power. Group Affiliation And Social Participation. Shared Affiliation In Two National Organizations. Group Affiliation At The Local Level. Levels Of Social Participation -- 5. Representative Distinctions Men And Women In The Collective Biographies. Differentiation And Fidelity: A Cultural Analysis Of Gender Representation -- 6. The Structure Of Feeling In The Emerging Middle Class. Personality Characteristics Of Biographical Subjects. The Emergence Of A Mediating Class. The Professional Ideal And The Middle Class. Appendix. A Note On Methodology. Robert Lanning. Includes Bibliographical References. Cover CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION 1 THE ROLE OF BIOGRAPHY IN SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL STUDIES Biography and History, People and Cultures Historical Sociology and Collective Biography 2 THE VICTORIAN CONTEXT The Progress of Canadian Culture The Meaning of Democracy and Equality in a Developing Culture Success Character as a Bridge for Social Change Samuel Smiles and the Sanctity of Individual Effort Phrenology: Physiognomy as an Image of Social Place 3 THE BIOGRAPHERS AT WORK The Proper Data for the Object Lesson Creating a Biographical Dictionary: Morgan's Method The Basic Data of Biographical Representation Three Representative Men 4 SOCIAL MOBILITY AND GROUP AFFILIATION Horizontal Mobility as the Retention of Generational Power Group Affiliation and Social Participation Shared Affiliation in Two National Organizations Group Affiliations at the Local Level Levels of Social Participation 5 REPRESENTATIVE DISTINCTIONS: MEN AND WOMEN IN THE COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHIES "Differentiation" and "Fidelity": A Cultural Analysis of Gender Representation 6 THE STRUCTURE OF FEELING IN THE EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS Personality Characteristics of Biographical Subjects The Emergence of a Mediating Class The Professional Ideal and the Middle Class CONCLUSION APPENDIX: A Note on Methodology Annotation "This unique study draws on biographical dictionaries as a collective portrait of the emerging Canadian middle class in the last half of the nineteenth century. The works compiled by Henry James Morgan, George MacLean Rose, and William Cochrane, and published between 1862 and 1903, reveal not only the life-course patterns of "representative" Canadians, but personal and social motivations driving the selection process. The complex of occupation, mobility and opportunity, networking, the meaning of success, and contrasts between the representation of men and women, are analyzed with an eye to the "structure of feeling" that characterized Canadian culture and national consciousness in this period. The National Album is a major contribution to Canadian studies, particularly to the flourishing interest in biography and autobiography and to the interdisciplinary field of historical sociology."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved