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

William Pannapacker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415968704 | ISBN-13: 978-0415968706 | Publication Date: October 30, 2003

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.

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About the Author

William Pannapacker is Assistant Professor of English and Towsley Research Scholar at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He holds an A.M. in English and a Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization from Harvard University, and is the author of numerous articles on nineteenth-century American literature and culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 218 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (October 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415968704
• ISBN-13: 978-0415968706
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,631,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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