The Character of Meriwether Lewis: "Completely Metamorphosed" in the American West [Paperback]

Clay Straus Jenkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

Oddities, Delights, and even Dark Corners of one of America's most famous frontiersman are explored in this newly released book. The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Completely Metamorphosed in the American West, the first book in a series is Clay Jenkinson's scholarly view on an American hero's complex character. He examines the nature of Meriwether Lewis starting with his boyhood and continues through the dark despair of alcoholism, depression and finally his suicide.

Not just a dry historical account of Meriwether Lewis' life but an insight into a complex man with many quirks. The hilarity of Lewis' obsession with clothes and food together with the sadness of his depression are sure to stir your emotions. Clay gives readers new lenses into the character of Meriwether Lewis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I recommend this work to anyone seeking a window into the extraordinary triumph, pain, and complexity that was ... Meriwether Lewis." -- Steven Ambrose, Author of Undaunted Courage

"Jenkinson's essay sets a new standard for humanities interpretation of the great moments of American history." -- Everett C. Albers, Director North Dakota Humanities Council

About the Author

Clay S. Jenkinson, author, humanities scholar and cultural commentator, has walked many miles in the moccasins of Meriwether Lewis. He was chief consultant, historian, scriptwriter and on camera field host for the Lewis & Clark documentary, "Travelin' On". He is currently writing and narrating hundreds of Lewis & Clark Minutes for radio broadcast. These minutes can be heard daily on participating radio stations across the country. In addition, Mr. Jenkinson is nationally known for his vibrant portrayals of both Thomas Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis in the Chautauqua first person tradition.

Clay brings a humanities perspective to this book, a perspective he learned as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford Univeristy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marmarth Press; 1st edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930806019
• ISBN-13: 978-1930806016
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clay Jenkinson is one of the most sought-after humanities scholars in the United States

A cultural commentator who has devoted most of his professional career to public humanities programs, Clay Jenkinson has been honored by two presidents for his work. On November 6, 1989, he received from President George Bush one of the first five Charles Frankel Prizes, the National Endowment for the Humanities highest award (now called the National Humanities Medal), at the nomination of the NEH Chair, Lynne Cheney. On April 11, 1994, he was the first public humanities scholar to present a program at a White House-sponsored event when he presented Thomas Jefferson for a gathering hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton. When award-winning humanities documentary producer Ken Burns turned his attention to Thomas Jefferson, he asked Clay Jenkinson to be the major humanities commentator. Since his first work with the North Dakota Humanities Council in the late 1970s, including a pioneering first-person interpretation of Meriwether Lewis, Clay Jenkinson has made thousands of presentations throughout the United States and its territories, including Guam and the Northern Marianas.

In 2008, Clay became the director of The Dakota Institute through The Lewis & Clark, Fort Mandan Foundation, to further expand his humanities programs with documentary films, symposiums and literary projects. He is also the Chief Consultant for the Theodore Roosevelt Center through Dickinson State University and conducts an annual lecture series for Bismarck State College.

Clay is also widely sought after as a commencement speaker (he has several honorary doctorates); as a facilitator of teacher institutes on Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Classical Culture, the Millennium, and other topics; as a lecturer on topics ranging from the "Unresolved Issues of the Millennium," to the "Character of Meriwether Lewis"; as a consultant to a range of humanities programs, chiefly first person historical interpretation (Chautauqua). Best known for his award-winning historical impersonations of Thomas Jefferson, Clay Jenkinson also impersonates other characters, including Meriwether Lewis, John Wesley Powell, Robert Oppenheimer, Theodore Roosevelt and John Steinbeck.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When you've been to the Missouri, what's left?, January 6, 2001

By 

Therese Yeaton "Hopeful optimist" (Renton, Wa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Character of Meriwether Lewis: "Completely Metamorphosed" in the American West (Paperback)

If all history books were like this, we would all be avid students of history. I found myself wishing that this book was 500 pages long, because it was so interesting and enjoyable to read. If you have any interest in American history I would highly recommend this book. If you have no interest in American history, I would still recommend it!

The suicide of Meriwether Lewis has always been one of the more tragic and interesting mysteries of American history. Clay Jenkinson, in this book on the character of Lewis, is witty, profound, insightful, and highly readable. We learn about Lewis' interest in food, his views on Indians and women, his longing for an important place in history, his drinking and most importantly, his view of himself. We see the Expedition through the unedited writings of Lewis himself and through Clay Jenkinson's perspective on what those writings reveal.

In the end, we must still speculate about what was in Lewis' heart and head on the night he took his life, but we are left with a much better understanding of the workings of that mind.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The dark despair that round him blew", December 31, 2000

By 

Laura Trounson (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Character of Meriwether Lewis: "Completely Metamorphosed" in the American West (Paperback)

This excellent and wonderfully written book celebrates and critically examines the sensitive, lyric, and noble soul of Meriwether Lewis. Clay Jenkinson explores Lewis' psyche from a unique perspective - literally - as a first-person historical interpreter. Profound, humorous, and soulful reflection make this a great read. Jenkinson's knowledge as a Jefferson scholar also enriches the text. Valuable to anyone curious about America's epic. There is also a wealth of information on the author's website.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Mind of Meriwether Lewis, January 23, 2005

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Character of Meriwether Lewis: "Completely Metamorphosed" in the American West (Paperback)

As Jenkinson notes in his Acknowledgements, "This is a humanities essay, an expression of a perspective" learned over the course of his career thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jenkinson, who portrays Jefferson on NPR radio wonderfully in the first person, writes a detailed analysis on the character of Lewis in this short but incitefully detailed book. This is not a full biography but a breakdown of the characteristics of Lewis that by the end of the book help the reader understand why Lewis deemed himself a failure to the point of committing suicide. Jenkinson covers Lewis' perception of his role in the expedition, his relationship with Clark, various Indian tribes, views on sex, relationships with women, his final role as governor of Louisianna and Lewis' perception of himself, quite often utilizing Lewis' own words. The posed picturer of Lewis on the cover of the book with an animal skin drapped more for show across his chest than for warmth seems to capture the sentiment of a highly intelligent aristocrat in the wilderness. In contrast to Clark who takes his role seriously yet within the general purpose of exploration, Lewis seems to look at the exploration constantly in reference to himself. In Jenkinson's book, Lewis seems to have a troubled temperment and a superior attitude toward the Indians and men in his company. He prefers the study of birds and animals to the Indian culture that he meets. He also seems concious of his need to be first as an explorer, sharing roles of leadership with Clark but not important points of discovery. Lewis undoubtedly contributed largely to the great success of the journey with his intellect and trained eye for biology but he also is tainted with melancholly. Jenkinson is very fair not to attribute today's typical pyschological diagnosis on Lewis as he states it is unfair to apply today's standards to times 200 years ago but he details a troubled mind that seems to come apart with alcohol, lack of a long term companionship, specifically women, and his non-military role as Governor of Louisianna. Combined with writer's block, his guarding of the Lewis and Clark written journey, his poor relations with civilians within and outside his administration, Jenkinson concludes that it all may have been too much for Lewis who was battling not only for reimbursements but his political life. Jekinson concludes that like Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, Lewis didn't quite receive the recognition he felt due him and that he also reached his "zenith" too soon in life at age 32.