By Olaf Hansen (NHC Fellow, 1983–84) Addressing vital issues in the current revision of American literary studies, Olaf Hansen carries out an exposition of American writing as a philosophical tradition. His broad and comparative view of American culture reveals the importance of the American allegory as a genuine artistic and intellectual style and as a … Continued
By Myra Jehlen (NHC Fellow, 1985–86) In exploring the origins and character of the American liberal tradition, Myra Jehlen begins with the proposition that the decisive factor that shaped the European settlers’ idea of “America” or the “American” was material rather than conceptual—it was the physical fact of the land. European settlers came to a continent on … Continued
By Elizabeth Fox-Genovese (NHC Fellow, 1984–85) In arguing that feminism has neither adequately acknowledged its ties to individualism nor squarely faced the extent to which many of its campaigns for social justice are based on the insistence of rights for the individual over good of the community, this study analyzes current political theory and its … Continued
By Quentin Anderson (NHC Fellow, 1979–80)
By Joseph E. Taylor, III (NHC Fellow, 2002–03; 2018–19) Few things suggest rugged individualism as powerfully as the solitary mountaineer testing his or her mettle in the rough country. Yet the long history of wilderness sport complicates this image. In this surprising story of the premier rock-climbing venue in the United States, Pilgrims of the Vertical offers … Continued
In “Self-Reliance” Emerson defines individualism as a profound and unshakeable trust in one’s own intuitions. Embracing this view of individualism, he asserts, can revolutionize society, not through a sweeping mass movement, but through the transformation of one life at a time and through the creation of leaders capable of greatness.
In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau not only calls for resistance to immoral and unjust government actions, he also criticizes the foundations of representative democracy — majority rule, voting, and representation.
When Thoreau wrote Civil Disobediencein 1849 he was responding to slavery and the Mexican War, but his essay resonates today as Americans grapple with issues like terrorism, abortion, and civil liberties. In this webinar we examine what was Thoreau’s argument? Is his vision of radical individualism workable in a democracy? How did he critique representative … Continued
Ralph Waldo Emerson died in 1882, but he is still very much with us. When you hear people assert their individualism, perhaps in rejecting help from the government or anyone else, you hear the voice of Emerson. When you hear a self-help guru tell people that if they change their way of thinking, they will … Continued