Difficult Reputations: Collective Memories of the Evil, Inept, and Controversial

We take reputations for granted. Believing in the bad and the good natures of our notorious or illustrious forebears is part of our shared national heritage. Yet we are largely ignorant of how such reputations came to be, who was instrumental in creating them, and why. Even less have we considered how villains, just as much as heroes, have helped our society define its values.

Presenting essays on America's most reviled traitor, its worst president, and its most controversial literary ingé...