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2 books match the query 'American Scene'
F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Scene
Ronald Berman
University of Alabama Press, 2017
A study of the philosophical, intellectual, and political influences on the artistic creations of Fitzgerald and key early American modernist writers
F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Scene continues Ronald Berman’s lifelong study of the philosophical, intellectual, and political influences on the artistic creations of key early American modernist writers. Each chapter in this volume elaborates on a crucial aspect of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s depiction of American society, specifically through the lens of the social sciences that most influenced his writing and thinking.
Berman addresses, among other subjects, Fitzgerald’s use of philosophy, cultural analyses, and sociology—all enriched by the insights of his own experience living an American life. He was especially interested in how life had changed from 1910 to 1920. Many Americans were unable to navigate between the 1920s and their own memories of a very different world before the Great War; especially Daisy Buchanan who evolves from girlhood (as typified in sentimental novels of the time) to wifehood (as actually experienced in the new decade). There is a profound similarity between what happens to Fitzgerald’s characters and what happened to the nation.
Berman revisits classics like The Great Gatsby but also looks carefully at Fitzgerald’s shorter fictions, analyzing a stimulating spectrum of scholars from more contemporary critics like Thomas Piketty to George Santayana, John Maynard Keynes, John Dewey, and Walter Lippmann. This fascinating addition to F. Scott Fitzgerald scholarship, although broad in its content, is accessible to a wide audience. Scholars and students of Fitzgerald and twentieth-century American literature, as well as dedicated Fitzgerald readers, will enjoy Berman’s take on a long-debated and celebrated author.
Priscilla Cooper Tyler and the American Scene, 1816-1889
Elizabeth Tyler Coleman
University of Alabama Press, 2006
A study illuminating the cultural intersections of gender, performance, and national identity in nineteenth-century America.
Priscilla Cooper Tyler and the American Scene, 1816–1889 by Elizabeth T. Coleman is a historical and cultural study that brings renewed attention to a remarkable yet often overlooked figure in nineteenth-century American life. The daughter of renowned actor Thomas Cooper, Priscilla Tyler occupied a unique position at the intersection of theatrical culture, literary expression, and political society during a period of profound national transformation.
Tracing Tyler’s life from her early involvement in the stage to her later roles within influential social and political circles, Coleman situates her subject within the broader cultural landscapes of antebellum America, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Through letters, performances, and social connections, Tyler emerges as an astute observer and participant in the evolving American scene, offering insight into the roles women played in shaping artistic, intellectual, and public life.
The book explores themes of identity, performance, gender, and cultural change, revealing how Tyler’s experiences illuminate the complex interplay between private life and public history. Coleman’s study not only reconstructs the biography of a significant historical figure but also contributes to a deeper understanding of nineteenth-century American theater, literature, and society.
This volume is an important resource for scholars and readers interested in American studies, women’s history, and the cultural history of the nineteenth century.