History and Hope in American Literature: Models of Critical Patriotism

(Hardback)

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Throughout history, creative writers have often tackled topical subjects as a means to engage and influence public discourse. American authorsthose born in the States and those who became naturalized citizenshave consistently found ways to be critical of the more painful pieces of the countrys past yet have done so with the patriotic purpose of strengthening the nations community and future. In History and Hope in American Literature: Models of Critical Patriotism, Ben Railton argues that it is only through an in-depth engagement with historyespecially its darkest and most agonizing elementsthat one can come to a genuine form of patriotism that employs constructive criticism as a tool for civic engagement. The author argues that it is through such critical patriotism that one can imagine and move toward a hopeful, shared future for all Americans. Railton highlights twelve works of American literature that focus on troubling periods in American history, including John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, David Bradleys The Chaneysville Incident, Louise Erdrichs Love Medicine, Tony Kushners Angels in America, Junot Dazs The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Dave Eggerss What Is the What. From African and Native American histories to the Depression and the AIDS epidemic, Caribbean and Rwandan refugees and immigrants to global climate change, these works help readers confront, understand, and transcend the most sorrowful histories and issues. In so doing, the authors of these books offer hard-won hope that can help point people in the direction of a more perfect union. History and Hope in American Literature will be of interest to students and practitioners of American literature and history.

Reviews

At what seems a dark political moment for many citizens in the US, Railton a realistic and optimistic examination of American politics, social issues, and culture through selected literary lenses. Some readers may be distracted by the term critical patriotism in the subtitle, although the author carefully defines it; the title itself serves the book more precisely. Railton offers wide-ranging contexts and references as he examines the difficult histories of American life: African American and Native American experiences, the Depression, Caribbean American histories, the AIDS epidemic, the refugee dilemma. Focusing on 13 literary works, ranging from Charles Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition (1901) to Dave Eggers's What Is the What (2006), Railton makes a compelling argument that despite the dark events and patterns of life in the USincluding the current divisivenessthese works become means toward a more enlightened country. The prose is free of jargon, written with an eye to the interests of scholars and serious readers. A substantial list of further reading closes this reflection on American life and values. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Ben Railton is professor of English studies and coordinator of American studies at Fitchburg State University. He is the author of Contesting the Past, Reconstructing the Nation: American Literature and Culture in the Gilded Age, 18761893 (2007), Redefining American Identity: From Cabeza de Vaca to Barack Obama (2011), and The Chinese Exclusion Act: What It Can Teach Us about America (2013).