A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America
In A Mirror for History, author Marc Egnal uses novels and art to provide a new understanding of American society. The book argues that the arc of middle-class culture reflects the evolution of the American economy from the near-subsistence agriculture of the 1750s to the extraordinarily unequal society of the twenty-first century. Fiction offers a rich source for this analysis. By delving deep into the souls of characters and their complex worlds, novels shed light on the dreams, hopes, and goals of individuals and reveal the structures that shape character’s lives. Additionally, paintings of the time periods expand upon these insights drawn from literature.

Egnal’s lively exploration of the changing economy, fiction, art, and American values is organized into four expansive periods—the Sentimental Era, Genteel America, Modern Society, and Post-Modern America. Within that framework, A Mirror for History looks at topics such as masculinity, childhood, the status of women, the outlook of African Americans, the role of religion, and varying views of capitalism.

Readers will be enthralled to find discussions of overlooked novels and paintings as well as discover new approaches to familiar pieces. A Mirror for History examines over one hundred authors and dozens of artists and their works, presented here in full color.
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A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America
In A Mirror for History, author Marc Egnal uses novels and art to provide a new understanding of American society. The book argues that the arc of middle-class culture reflects the evolution of the American economy from the near-subsistence agriculture of the 1750s to the extraordinarily unequal society of the twenty-first century. Fiction offers a rich source for this analysis. By delving deep into the souls of characters and their complex worlds, novels shed light on the dreams, hopes, and goals of individuals and reveal the structures that shape character’s lives. Additionally, paintings of the time periods expand upon these insights drawn from literature.

Egnal’s lively exploration of the changing economy, fiction, art, and American values is organized into four expansive periods—the Sentimental Era, Genteel America, Modern Society, and Post-Modern America. Within that framework, A Mirror for History looks at topics such as masculinity, childhood, the status of women, the outlook of African Americans, the role of religion, and varying views of capitalism.

Readers will be enthralled to find discussions of overlooked novels and paintings as well as discover new approaches to familiar pieces. A Mirror for History examines over one hundred authors and dozens of artists and their works, presented here in full color.
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A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America

A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America

by Marc Egnal
A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America

A Mirror for History: How Novels and Art Reflect the Evolution of Middle-Class America

by Marc Egnal

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Overview

In A Mirror for History, author Marc Egnal uses novels and art to provide a new understanding of American society. The book argues that the arc of middle-class culture reflects the evolution of the American economy from the near-subsistence agriculture of the 1750s to the extraordinarily unequal society of the twenty-first century. Fiction offers a rich source for this analysis. By delving deep into the souls of characters and their complex worlds, novels shed light on the dreams, hopes, and goals of individuals and reveal the structures that shape character’s lives. Additionally, paintings of the time periods expand upon these insights drawn from literature.

Egnal’s lively exploration of the changing economy, fiction, art, and American values is organized into four expansive periods—the Sentimental Era, Genteel America, Modern Society, and Post-Modern America. Within that framework, A Mirror for History looks at topics such as masculinity, childhood, the status of women, the outlook of African Americans, the role of religion, and varying views of capitalism.

Readers will be enthralled to find discussions of overlooked novels and paintings as well as discover new approaches to familiar pieces. A Mirror for History examines over one hundred authors and dozens of artists and their works, presented here in full color.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781621908869
Publisher: University of Tennessee Press
Publication date: 04/19/2024
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 368
File size: 13 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

MARC EGNAL is an emeritus professor of history at York University, Toronto, Canada. His most recent book is Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.

Table of Contents

Contents Introduction: Of Novels, Paintings, Ngrams, and the Middle Class 1. Prelude: From Austerity to Sentimentality, 1750–1788 Part One: The Sentimental Era 2. Years of Uncertainty, 1789–1819 3. Soaring Spirits, 1820–1851 4. Retreat from the Heights, 1852–1869 Part Two: The Genteel Era 5. Cheerful Towns, Troubled Cities, 1870–1890 6. The Edifice Crumbles, 1891–1919 Part Three: The Modern Era 7. Businessmen, Romantics, and Rebels, 1920–1940 8. Anxious Conformists, 1941–1960 Part Four: The Postmodern Era 9. New Realities, 1961–1990 10. Beset on All Sides, 1991–2020 Conclusion Acknowledgments Sources for artwork Notes Index
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