Beloved Community
The Cultural Criticism of Randolph Bourne, Van Wyck Brooks, Waldo Frank, and Lewis Mumford
By Alan Trachtenberg, Casey Nelson Blake | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
About the book
The “Young American” critics — Randolph Bourne, Van Wyck Brooks, Waldo Frank, and Lewis Mumford — are well known as central figures in the Greenwich Village “Little Renaissance” of the 1910s and in the postwar debates about American culture and politics. In Beloved Community, Casey Blake considers these intellectuals as a coherant group and assesses the connection between thier cultural criticisms and their attempts to forge a communitarian alternative to liberal and socialist poitics.
Blake draws on biography to emphasize the intersection of questions of self, culture, and society in their calls for a culture of “personality” and “self-fulfillment.” In contrast to the tendency of previous analyses to separate these critics' cultural and autobiographical writings from their politics, Blake argues that their cultural criticism grew out of a radical vision of self-realization through participation in a democratic culture and polity. He also examines the Young American writers' interpretations of such turn-of-the-century radicals as William Morris, Henry George, John Dewey, and Patrick Geddes and shows that this adversary tradition still offers important insights into contemporary issues in American politics and culture.
Beloved Community reestablishes the democratic content of the Young Americans' ideal of “personality” and argues against viewing a monolithic therapeutic culture as the sole successor to a Victorian “culture of character.” The politics of selfhood that was so critical to the Young Americans' project has remained a contested terrain throughout the twentieth century.
Editions of Beloved Community
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807819357
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807842966
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807860427
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890864574
Read an Excerpt
The “Young American” critics — Randolph Bourne, Van Wyck Brooks, Waldo Frank, and Lewis Mumford — are well known as central figures in the Greenwich Village “Little Renaissance” of the 1910s and in the postwar debates about American culture and politics. In Beloved Community, Casey Blake considers these intellectuals as a coherant group and assesses the connection between thier cultural criticisms and their attempts to forge a communitarian alternative to liberal and socialist poitics.
Blake draws on biography to emphasize the intersection of questions of self, culture, and society in their calls for a culture of “personality” and “self-fulfillment.” In contrast to the tendency of previous analyses to separate these critics' cultural and autobiographical writings from their politics, Blake argues that their cultural criticism grew out of a radical vision of self-realization through participation in a democratic culture and polity. He also examines the Young American writers' interpretations of such turn-of-the-century radicals as William Morris, Henry George, John Dewey, and Patrick Geddes and shows that this adversary tradition still offers important insights into contemporary issues in American politics and culture.
Beloved Community reestablishes the democratic content of the Young Americans' ideal of “personality” and argues against viewing a monolithic therapeutic culture as the sole successor to a Victorian “culture of character.” The politics of selfhood that was so critical to the Young Americans' project has remained a contested terrain throughout the twentieth century.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Beloved Community about?
The “Young American” critics — Randolph Bourne, Van Wyck Brooks, Waldo Frank, and Lewis Mumford — are well known as central figures in the Greenwich Village “Little Renaissance” of the 1910s and in the postwar debates about American culture and politics. In Beloved Community, Casey Blake considers these intellectuals as a coherant group and assesses the connection between thier cultural criticisms and their attempts to forge a communitarian alternative to liberal and socialist poitics.
Blake draws on biography to emphasize the intersection of questions of self, culture, and society in their calls for a culture of “personality” and “self-fulfillment.” In contrast to the tendency of previous analyses to separate these critics' cultural and autobiographical writings from their politics, Blake argues that their cultural criticism grew out of a radical vision of self-realization through participation in a democratic culture and polity. He also examines the Young American writers' interpretations of such turn-of-the-century radicals as William Morris, Henry George, John Dewey, and Patrick Geddes and shows that this adversary tradition still offers important insights into contemporary issues in American politics and culture.
Beloved Community reestablishes the democratic content of the Young Americans' ideal of “personality” and argues against viewing a monolithic therapeutic culture as the sole successor to a Victorian “culture of character.” The politics of selfhood that was so critical to the Young Americans' project has remained a contested terrain throughout the twentieth century.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Beloved Community?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism
Where can I read a sample of Beloved Community?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807819357
How long is Beloved Community and how many pages does it have?
Beloved Community has 388 page(s)
Is Beloved Community part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Cultural Studies of the United States
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Beloved Community?
Alan Trachtenberg, Casey Nelson Blake
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Beloved Community is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807819357) and paperback(ISBN 9780807842966) and ebook(ISBN 9780807860427) and pdf(ISBN 9798890864574)
Where can I buy Beloved Community online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Beloved Community from below
Where can I buy Beloved Community?