The Temple and the Forum: American Museum and Cultural Authority in Hawthorne, Melville, Stowe, and Whitman [Hardcover]

Les Harrison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Les Harrison’s densely argued and amply illustrated treatment of nineteenth-century U.S. literature and museum culture begins with Duncan Cameron’s formulation of the museum’s two roles in a democracy: it may serve as a temple, codifying for visitors the values of the powerful, or it may function as a forum, offering the public a ‘place for confrontation, experimentation, and debate.’ . . . With its attention to institutional sites as expressions and arbiters of contested cultural models, The Temple and the Forum joins an American Studies tradition represented by such scholars as Karen Haltunnen, John Kasson, and Lawrence Levine (all of whom Harrison cites). Anyone interested in U.S. literature, performance studies, or theorizations of the public sphere will find much of interest.”—American Studies Journal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; 1 edition (May 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817315632
• ISBN-13: 978-0817315634
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,748,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)