Modern Jeremiahs: Contemporary Visions of American Decline

(Paperback)

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Description

One of the most enduring themes in American political discourse is the idea of decline. Since the very beginnings of the European settlement of North America there have been voices pointing to an inevitable regression of the people from the standards set by heroic ancestors. This discourse of decay has often taken the form of the jeremiad in which public intellectuals, pundits, and politicians point to the causes of decline and call for a return to older and nobler standards of conduct. The Jeremiad has seen a revival in the last 25 years. Jendrysik traces the history of this form of political discourse from its modern reinvention by Allan Bloom to its current uses by such figures as Bill O'Reilly and Hillary Clinton.

Reviews

Modern Jeremiahs explores America's favorite narrative the dire warning of terrible decline. We've been going to hell in a hand basket since the Puritans arrived. But, as Jendrysik artfully demonstrates, our tales of woe have profoundly changed and with far reaching consequences. Elegant, engaging, infuriating, funny, insightful and highly recommended. -- James Morone, author of Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History and professor of political science, Brown University, author of Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History and professor of political science, Brown University
A useful examination of the prominent themes of neoconservative social and political thought of the past several decades and an effective criticism of the dangers of this form of political thought. Recommended. * Choice Reviews *
Modern Jeremiahs draws attention to a prominent yet puzzling fixture of contemporary political argument: the narrative of decline at a time of significant economic and military strength. While carefully rooted in the history of American political thought, this highly engaging study focuses on the appeal of such rhetoric in the last two decades among commentators on both right and left. Jendrysik invites us to look more carefully at the multiple uses of the jeremiad and ultimately at its serious limitations in prompting social change. -- Albert W. Dzur, associate professor of political science, Bowling Green State University

Author Bio

Mark Stephen Jendrysik is chair of the department of political science and public administration at the University of North Dakota and author of Explaining the English Revolution: Hobbes and His Contemporaries.