In the late eighteenth century, the French American writer J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur posed the question, "What then is the American, this new man?" He tried to answer the question in his book _Letters from an American Farmer_, and Americans ever since have speculated about what the American character is.
On this program we'll hear about several important concepts of "self" in the United States. Michael Warner traces the evolution of the Puritan idea of self; David Leverenz talks about images of successful businessmen that developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and Nina Baym explains how women were reflected in these images of men--and how women began to develop their own ideas about who they were and what role they played in society.
Thirty-second promo available.
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Piece Description
In the late eighteenth century, the French American writer J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur posed the question, "What then is the American, this new man?" He tried to answer the question in his book _Letters from an American Farmer_, and Americans ever since have speculated about what the American character is. On this program we'll hear about several important concepts of "self" in the United States. Michael Warner traces the evolution of the Puritan idea of self; David Leverenz talks about images of successful businessmen that developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and Nina Baym explains how women were reflected in these images of men--and how women began to develop their own ideas about who they were and what role they played in society. Thirty-second promo available.
Additional Files
- :30 promo (wtwimagesofamself30.mp2)
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