America in Theory

The appeal to a shared sense of origins and national purpose is part of the rhetoric of American life. But the historical source of "the American experience" is a matter of dispute: was it the founding documents, New England puritanism, transcendentalism, the sentiment of individualism, the myth of America as a redeemer nation? Indeed, the whole idea of explaining our experience by a single impulse may itself be misconceived. Drawing together stimulating and original articles by such...
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The appeal to a shared sense of origins and national purpose is part of the rhetoric of American life. But the historical source of "the American experience" is a matter of dispute: was it the founding documents, New England puritanism, transcendentalism, the sentiment of individualism, the myth of America as a redeemer nation? Indeed, the whole idea of explaining our experience by a single impulse may itself be misconceived. Drawing together stimulating and original articles by such noted writers as Denis Donoghue, Thomas Bender, Gerald Holton, and Nell Irvin Painter--plus an afterword by E.L. Doctorow--America in Theory examines the extent to which our perceptions of the past have dictated, and should continue to dictate, the way we address the problems of the present. As these thought-provoking essays reveal, the myths and theories that make up our idea of America are still evolving, are still open to debate, two centuries after our nation's founding. Anyone interested in the meaning of the American experience will find this volume provocative and insightful.