1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910778186903321

Autore

Meltzer Mitchell

Titolo

Secular revelations [[electronic resource] ] : the Constitution of the United States and classic American literature / / Mitchell Meltzer

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge, Mass., : Harvard University Press, 2005

ISBN

0-674-04094-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (x, 192 p. ) : ill

Classificazione

HS 1070

Disciplina

810.9/358

Soggetti

American literature - 19th century - History and criticism

Nationalism and literature - United States - History - 19th century

Literature and state - United States - History - 19th century

National characteristics, American, in literature

Constitutional history - United States

Secularism in literature

Revelation in literature

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Formerly CIP.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [165]-188) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: The Constitution and American Literature -- I: The Constitution as a Secular Revelation -- 1. At the Beginning -- 2. The Path to Union -- 3. The People, Having Spoken, Speak -- 4. Almost a Miracle -- 5. The Paradox of Secular Revelation -- II: An American Literary Renaissance -- 6. Declarations of American Literary Independence -- 7. Preserving the Revelation -- 8. Preserving the Paradox -- 9. The Literary Renaissance of Secular Revelation -- 10. Essays in Time -- 11. A Poetic Form for Straying -- 12. Clinging to Narrative -- 13. Confidence and the Darkness of Revelation -- Conclusion: The Literary Art of Uniting States -- Notes -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

The United States Constitution is a quintessentially political document. Yet, until now, no one has seriously considered the formative influence of this document on American cultural life. In this ambitious book, Mitchell Meltzer demonstrates the extent to which the Constitution is both source and inspiration for America's greatest literary masterworks.