Politics and Beauty in America

The Liberal Aesthetics of P.T. Barnum, John Muir, and Harley Earl

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, Government
Cover of the book Politics and Beauty in America by Timothy J. Lukes, Palgrave Macmillan US
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Timothy J. Lukes ISBN: 9781137020901
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US Publication: June 28, 2016
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan Language: English
Author: Timothy J. Lukes
ISBN: 9781137020901
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication: June 28, 2016
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: English

This book holds classical liberalism responsible for an American concept of beauty that centers upon women, wilderness, and machines. For each of the three beauty components, a cultural entrepreneur supremely sensitive to liberalism’s survival agenda is introduced. P.T. Barnum’s exhibition of Jenny Lind is a masterful combination of female elegance and female potency in the subsistence realm. John Muir’s Yosemite Valley is surely exquisite, but only after a rigorous liberal education prepares for its experience. And Harley Earl’s 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is a dreamy expressionist sculpture, but with a practical 265 cubic inch V-8 underneath.  Not that American beauty has been uniformly pragmatic. The 1950s are reconsidered for having temporarily facilitated a relaxation of the liberal survival priorities, and the creations of painter Jackson Pollock and jazz virtuoso Ornette Coleman are evaluated for their resistance to the pressures of pragmatism. The author concludes with a provocative speculation regarding a future liberal habitat where Emerson’s admonition to attach stars to wagons is rescinded. 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book holds classical liberalism responsible for an American concept of beauty that centers upon women, wilderness, and machines. For each of the three beauty components, a cultural entrepreneur supremely sensitive to liberalism’s survival agenda is introduced. P.T. Barnum’s exhibition of Jenny Lind is a masterful combination of female elegance and female potency in the subsistence realm. John Muir’s Yosemite Valley is surely exquisite, but only after a rigorous liberal education prepares for its experience. And Harley Earl’s 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is a dreamy expressionist sculpture, but with a practical 265 cubic inch V-8 underneath.  Not that American beauty has been uniformly pragmatic. The 1950s are reconsidered for having temporarily facilitated a relaxation of the liberal survival priorities, and the creations of painter Jackson Pollock and jazz virtuoso Ornette Coleman are evaluated for their resistance to the pressures of pragmatism. The author concludes with a provocative speculation regarding a future liberal habitat where Emerson’s admonition to attach stars to wagons is rescinded. 

More books from Palgrave Macmillan US

Cover of the book The Jurisprudence of Police by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book The New Brazilian Economy by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Crossing Sex and Gender in Latin America by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Teaching Harry Potter by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Combat Trauma and the Ancient Greeks by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Governing Corporate Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry after Rana Plaza by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book America in the British Imagination by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Transforming Classroom Culture by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book The Palgrave Handbook of Musical Theatre Producers by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Global Perspectives on US Foreign Policy by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Second Wind by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Care Professions and Globalization by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Traditionalism and Radicalism in the History of Christian Thought by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book Sensationalism and the Genealogy of Modernity by Timothy J. Lukes
Cover of the book The Manager's Dilemma by Timothy J. Lukes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy