The Contrast: Manners, Morals, and Authority in the Early American Republic

by Cynthia A. Kierner

Overview

“The Contrast“, which premiered at New York City's John Street Theater in 1787, was the first American play performed in public by a professional theater company. The play, written by New England-born, Harvard-educated, Royall Tyler was timely, funny, and extremely popular. When the play appeared in print in 1790, George Washington himself appeared at the head of its list of hundreds of subscribers.
Reprinted here with annotated footnotes by historian Cynthia A. Kierner, Tyler’s play explores the debate over manners, morals, and cultural authority in the decades following American Revolution. Did the American colonists' rejection of monarchy in 1776 mean they should abolish all European social traditions and hierarchies? What sorts of etiquette, amusements, and fashions were appropriate and beneficial? Most important, to be a nation, did Americans need to distinguish themselves from Europeans—and, if so, how?
Tyler was not the only American pondering these questions, and Kierner situates the play in its broader historical and cultural contexts. An extensive introduction provides readers with a background on life and politics in the United States in 1787, when Americans were in the midst of nation-building. The book also features a section with selections from contemporary letters, essays, novels, conduct books, and public documents, which debate issues of the era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814783436
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Cynthia A. Kierner is professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the author of Scandal at Bizarre: Rumor and Reputation in Jefferson's America and Revolutionary America: Sources and Interpretation.

Table of Contents

ContentsList of Illustrations Preface1 Introduction 2 The Contrast by Royall Tyler 3 Primary Documents A. Arts and Literature in Post-Revolutionary America B. Virtues and Vices of the Theater C. Lord Chester?eld and His Critics D. The Follies of FashionE. The Ideal WifeF. The Ideal Husband G. Educating American YouthH. The Meaning of Equality Suggested Reading Index About the Author IllustrationsAdvertisement for The Contrast, 1787 Frontispiece from the Columbian Magazine, 1789 The Declaration of Independence, by John Trumbull, 1787 Royall Tyler Plan of the City of New York, 1789 George Washington, by Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1785–1792 Title page from The Contrast, 1790 Frontispiece from The Contrast, 1790 Miss Carolina Sullivan, 1776 The Toilet, 1786 A Morning Ramble, or, The Milliner’s Shop, 1782 The Copley Family, by John Singleton Copley, 1776–1777 The Washington Family, by Edward Savage, 1789–1796 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

While Kierner's analysis of The Contrast may not be as thorough as some scholars might want, that is clearly not her intention here; rather, she has provided a concise, well-written, and tremendously useful coverage of historical and cultural angles necessary for a full appreciation of how Tyler's play spoke to audiences of its day."-Theatre Journal,

“This powerful and lively package of primary materials and historical context will demonstrate how historical ‘forces’ play themselves out on the ground. Kierner’s collection offers a fresh lens on a new world struggling into being and will inspire teachers and students of all ages alike.”
-Catherine Allgor,author of A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation

“The Contrast makes a real contribution to the existing scholarship on this period, it has great appeal for classroom use, and it puts back in print an amusing play that is instrumental in understanding critical issues in the new nation. The play The Contrast centers on gender roles, relations, and expectations, mocking the gender stereotypes of the day and is a rich source for understanding a host of political and social issues in the Early Republic. It is funnyeven to a modern audienceand replete with literary references.”
-Charlene M. Boyer Lewis,author of Ladies and Gentlemen on Display: Planter Society at the Virginia Springs, 1790-1860

“I can think of no other text of the period that lays out the drive toward transparency more clearly or denigrates coquettes and libertines more entertainingly. The play is a pivotal piece of American cultural history. ”
-Norma Basch,author of Framing American Divorce: From the Revolutionary Generation to the Victorians

&“Kierner’s new edition of this play should win it a much wider modern audience. Kierner highlights the many historical themes of the play with a fine introduction and facilitates deeper understanding of those issues with a wonderfully chosen set of additional primary documents. The resulting book could be used with profit in any early American history course.”
-The North Carolina Historical Review

Editorial Reviews

"I can think of no other text of the period that lays out the drive toward transparency more clearly or denigrates coquettes and libertines more entertainingly. The play is a pivotal piece of American cultural history"

Norma Basch

"This powerful and lively package of primary materials and historical context will demonstrate how historical & forces play themselves out on the ground. Kierners collection offers a fresh lens on a new world struggling into being and will inspire teachers and students of all ages alike."

Catherine Allgor

"The Contrast makes a real contribution to the existing scholarship on this period, it has great appeal for classroom use, and it puts back in print an amusing play that is instrumental in understanding critical issues in the new nation. The play The Contrast centers on gender roles, relations, and expectations, mocking the gender stereotypes of the day and is a rich source for understanding a host of political and social issues in the Early Republic. It is funnyeven to a modern audienceand replete with literary references."

Charlene M. Boyer Lewis

"&Kierners new edition of this play should win it a much wider modern audience. Kierner highlights the many historical themes of the play with a fine introduction and facilitates deeper understanding of those issues with a wonderfully chosen set of additional primary documents. The resulting book could be used with profit in any early American history course."

The North Carolina Historical Review

I can think of no other text of the period that lays out the drive toward transparency more clearly or denigrates coquettes and libertines more entertainingly. The play is a pivotal piece of American cultural history. ”
-Norma Basch,author of Framing American Divorce: From the Revolutionary Generation to the Victorians

&“Kierner’s new edition of this play should win it a much wider modern audience. Kierner highlights the many historical themes of the play with a fine introduction and facilitates deeper understanding of those issues with a wonderfully chosen set of additional primary documents. The resulting book could be used with profit in any early American history course.”
-The North Carolina Historical Review

“The Contrast makes a real contribution to the existing scholarship on this period, it has great appeal for classroom use, and it puts back in print an amusing play that is instrumental in understanding critical issues in the new nation. The play The Contrast centers on gender roles, relations, and expectations, mocking the gender stereotypes of the day and is a rich source for understanding a host of political and social issues in the Early Republic. It is funnyeven to a modern audienceand replete with literary references.”
-Charlene M. Boyer Lewis,author of Ladies and Gentlemen on Display: Planter Society at the Virginia Springs, 1790-1860

From the Publisher