1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910777749703321

Autore

Tyler Royall

Titolo

Contrast : Manners, Morals, and Authority in the Early American Republic [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY, USA, : NYU Press, 2007

NYU Press

ISBN

0-8147-4937-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (158 p.)

Disciplina

812/.1

Soggetti

LITERARY CRITICISM

Drama

Manners and customs - History - 18th century - United States

Conduct of life

Betrothal

Arranged marriage

Mate selection

Politics and literature

English

Languages & Literatures

American Literature

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Preface -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Contrast by Royall Tyler -- 3 Primary Documents -- Suggested Reading -- Index -- About the Author

Sommario/riassunto

“The Contrast“, which premiered at New York City's John Street Theater in 1787, was the first American play performed in public by a professional theater company. The play, written by New England-born, Harvard-educated, Royall Tyler was timely, funny, and extremely popular. When the play appeared in print in 1790, George Washington himself appeared at the head of its list of hundreds of subscribers.Reprinted here with annotated footnotes by historian Cynthia A. Kierner, Tyler’s play explores the debate over manners, morals, and



cultural authority in the decades following American Revolution. Did the American colonists' rejection of monarchy in 1776 mean they should abolish all European social traditions and hierarchies? What sorts of etiquette, amusements, and fashions were appropriate and beneficial? Most important, to be a nation, did Americans need to distinguish themselves from Europeans-and, if so, how? Tyler was not the only American pondering these questions, and Kierner situates the play in its broader historical and cultural contexts. An extensive introduction provides readers with a background on life and politics in the United States in 1787, when Americans were in the midst of nation-building. The book also features a section with selections from contemporary letters, essays, novels, conduct books, and public documents, which debate issues of the era.