Hawthorne Melville and the American Character
A Looking-Glass Business

This book considers the portrayal of the American national character in the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville.

John McWilliams (Author)

9780521311465, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 February 1986

276 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.41 kg

This book considers the portrayal of the American national character in the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. It examines Hawthorne's abiding concern with the development of New England from colony to province to republic, and analyses Melville's changing evocation of 'the new American', and the difficulties he faced in sustaining his heady nationalistic faith.

Preface
Introduction: tomorrow's American
Part I. Hawthorne: 1. John Endicott and the fictions of oratory
2. Narrower souls
3. The Puritan revolution of 1755
4. A diminished thing
5. Broken lines
Part II. Melville: 6. Distrust in confidence
7. Mirror men
8. Confidence in distrust
9. True bridge of sighs
Conclusion: floating at will
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]