The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America / Edition 1

by Wilfred M. McClay

Overview

In this provocative book, Wilfred McClay considers the long-standing tension between individualism and social cohesion in conceptions of American culture. Exploring ideas of unity and diversity as they have evolved since the Civil War, he illuminates the historical background to our ongoing search for social connectedness and sources of authority in a society increasingly dominated by the premises of individualism. McClay borrows D. H. Lawrence's term 'masterless men'—extending its meaning to women as well—and argues that it is expressive of both the promise and the peril inherent in the modern American social order.

Drawing upon a wide range of disciplines—including literature, sociology, political science, philosophy, psychology, and feminist theory—McClay identifies a competition between visions of dispersion on the one hand and coalescence on the other as modes of social organization. In addition, he employs intellectual biography to illuminate the intersection of these ideas with the personal experiences of the thinkers articulating them and shows how these shifting visions are manifestations of a more general ambivalence about the process of national integration and centralization that has characterized modern American economic, political, and cultural life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807844199
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	02/25/1994
Edition description:	1
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.85(d)
Lexile:	1720L (what's this?)

About the Author

Wilfred M. McClay is Professor and SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A fascinating intellectual history.—America



[A] fine study.—American Historical Review



In this engaging survey of intellectual life since the Civil War, Wilfred M. McClay portrays Americans tossing and turning in their dreams—on one side conjuring up visions of the liberal isolato striking westward, while on the other yearning to cast off narrow egotism and fall into the loving arms of the nation.—Journal of Southern History



This is a model of intelligent and intelligible cultural history from which any student of modern America will profit.—Australasian Journal of American Studies



This extraordinary work of cultural history traces the changing fortunes of 'self' and 'society' in American life over a period of two centuries. . . . The prose is lapidary, yet accessible; the level of historical imagination complex, yet engaging to any lively mind. Splendid work!—Thomas L. Haskell, Rice University



[An] elegantly written and closely argued book. . . . More than a masterful work of historical recovery and interpretation, this study has important implications for contemporary political and cultural debates. By revealing the hidden connections between an antinomian individualism and the consolidation of the modern American state, McClay's learned book has much to teach us about how to master ourselves and our society.—Casey Nelson Blake, Indiana University

Editorial Reviews

ÝA¨ fine study.

"American Historical Review"

[A] fine study.

"American Historical Review"

A fascinating intellectual history.

"America"

Engaging.

"Journal of Southern History"

This is a model of intelligent and intelligible cultural history from which any student of modern America will profit.

"Australasian Journal of American Studies"

From the Publisher