The Law of the Heart

Individualism and the Modern Self in American Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book The Law of the Heart by Sam B. Girgus, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sam B. Girgus ISBN: 9780292772946
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 3, 2014
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Sam B. Girgus
ISBN: 9780292772946
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 3, 2014
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
The Law of the Heart is a vigorous challenge to the prevailing concept of the “antidemocratic” image of the self in the American literary and cultural tradition. Sam B. Girgus counters this interpretation and attempts to develop a new understanding of democratic individualism and liberal humanism in American literature under the rubric of literary modernism. The image of the individual self who retreats inward, conforming to a distorted “law of the heart,” emerges from the works of such writers as Cooper and Poe and composer Charles Ives. Yet, as Girgus shows, other American writers relate the idea of the self to reality and culture in a more complex way: the self confronts and is reconciled to the paradox of history and reality. In Girgus’ view, the tradition of pragmatic, humanistic individualism provides a foundation for a future where individual liberty is a major priority. He uses literary modernism as a bridge for relating contemporary social conditions to crises of the American self and culture as seen in the works of writers including Emerson, Howells, Whitman, Henry James, William James, Fitzgerald, Bellow, and McLuhan.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
The Law of the Heart is a vigorous challenge to the prevailing concept of the “antidemocratic” image of the self in the American literary and cultural tradition. Sam B. Girgus counters this interpretation and attempts to develop a new understanding of democratic individualism and liberal humanism in American literature under the rubric of literary modernism. The image of the individual self who retreats inward, conforming to a distorted “law of the heart,” emerges from the works of such writers as Cooper and Poe and composer Charles Ives. Yet, as Girgus shows, other American writers relate the idea of the self to reality and culture in a more complex way: the self confronts and is reconciled to the paradox of history and reality. In Girgus’ view, the tradition of pragmatic, humanistic individualism provides a foundation for a future where individual liberty is a major priority. He uses literary modernism as a bridge for relating contemporary social conditions to crises of the American self and culture as seen in the works of writers including Emerson, Howells, Whitman, Henry James, William James, Fitzgerald, Bellow, and McLuhan.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Life on the Texas Range by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book German Seed in Texas Soil by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Texas Takes Wing by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Travelers In Texas, 1761-1860 by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Aransas by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book The Best American Newspaper Narratives, Volume 2 by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Television Rewired by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Murder on the White Sands by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Katherine Anne Porter's Ship of Fools by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book The Red Caddy by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Blockading the Border and Human Rights by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Ritual and Power in Stone by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Sexual Textualities by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book LULAC by Sam B. Girgus
Cover of the book Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volumes 7 and 8 by Sam B. Girgus
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