Main Currents in American Thought: Volume 1 - The Colonial Mind, 1620-1800: WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE - Couverture souple

Parrington, Vernon Louis

Couverture souple

ISBN 13 : 9798852564931

Editeur : Independently published, 2024

Synopsis

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

Main Currents in American Thought: An Interpretation of American Literature is a monumental exploration of American intellectual and literary history that has left an indelible mark on the field. Written by Vernon Louis Parrington, this work, which won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1928, delves deep into the ideological undercurrents that have shaped the United States from its colonial beginnings through the Gilded Age.

Parrington masterfully categorizes U.S. history into three distinct phases: Calvinistic pessimism, romantic optimism, and mechanistic pessimism. He argues that these phases are all driven by a central force: democratic idealism. This sweeping interpretation of American history offers a unique lens through which to view the development of American thought, especially its literature.

A staunch defender of state sovereignty, Parrington sought to disentangle this doctrine from its unfortunate association with the cause of slavery. He believed that the conflation of these two issues had disastrous consequences for American democracy, particularly as it led to the unchecked growth of corporate power in the Gilded Age. According to Parrington, this shift marked a turning point where the federal government began to shield capitalists from local and state regulation, further exacerbating economic inequality.

For two decades, Main Currents in American Thought was not only a cornerstone in American historical scholarship but also a guiding force in literary and cultural criticism. It inspired the Progressive historians, a group of scholars who emphasized the primacy of economic and geographical forces in shaping history, viewing ideas as instruments of these deeper realities. Parrington’s work played a crucial role in defining modern liberalism in the United States, making it a key text for understanding the intellectual foundations of 20th-century American politics and society.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Independently published
• Date d'édition: 2024
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 13: 9798852564931
• Reliure: Tapa blanda
• Nombre de pages: 350
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.es/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxembourg