Review

Author(s): Marcus Cunliffe

Review by: Marcus Cunliffe
Source: American Studies International, Vol. 24, No. 1 (April 1986), pp. 88-89
Published by: Mid-America American Studies Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41278839
Accessed: 09-03-2015 15:25 UTC

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88

andexaminaandAnnaliste
tothewhite
ofAmerican
historical
Indians;
techniques
legendry
inpopular
tionsoftheWaltDisneyversion
ofCrockett
andofCrockett
as portrayed
song.
of
Tradition
TheStory
JanShipps,Mormonism:
University
(Champaign:
ofa NewReligious
Illinois
Press,1985),211pp. $14.50.
oftheLathistorian
non-Mormon
herself
as theleading
Professor
Shippshasestablished
ofthe
someaccounts
theanimusthathasmarked
terDaySaints.Sheis quitefreefrom
ofsomeoftheChurch's
themildness
andblandness
freefrom
Mormon
andalmost
church,
rests
ownchroniclers.
Thisclear,
upontheview
knowledgeable,
sympathetic
interpretation
indeedan internaas an American,
hasbecomeindisputably
thatMormonism
accepted
tional,
organization.
religious
ofKenFrontier
inAmerica:
TheContinuing
H. Walker,
Robert
University
Reform
(Lexington:
Press,1985),270pp. $25.00.
tucky
withthesameauthor's
collecbereadinconjunction
Thepresent
workshould,
ideally,
inAmerica
in1976andnow
TheReform
tionofannotated
, first
documents,
Spirit
published
inhardcover
E. Krieger
1985,704
Florida,
Co.,Melbourne,
byRobert
Publishing
reprinted
thatreform
hasbeennotintermittent
Thisearlier
volume
restsonthepremise
pp.,$42.50.
onemight
inthenation's
evolution.
Thereform
butcontinuous
say,isasAmerican
impulse,
andinaphoristic
withfresh
as applepie.Theideais developed,
prose,inProinsights
heeschews
Walker's
newvolume.
Asbefore
fessor
textbookish,
chronological
anyobvious,
ofreform
toemphasize
certain
versions
instead
(politico-economic,
organization,
preferring
andtohighlight
brief
thesebymeansofdeft,
socialjustice,
dreams),
vignettes
planners'
instances.
likewise
avoidhackneyed
onparticular
peopleandepisodes.Theillustrations
ofthe"money
anda valuable
notesandbibliography,
There
arecomprehensive
chronology
1832-1913.
question,"
andtheRiseoftheAmerican
SeanWilentz,
Democratic:
NewYork
Class
Chants
,
City
Working
1788-1850
Press,1984),446pp. $34.95.
(NewYork:Oxford
University
anddemocracy
inthe
andprizewinning
"historical
Anacclaimed
essayon capitalism
ofa workingman's
theauthor
examines
theemergence
UnitedStates."Moreprecisely,
intheNewYorkCityoftheJefferson
andJackson
eras.Thisculture,
forProfessor
culture
or
embodied
successive
forms
of"republicanism"
Wilentz,
(a now-fashionable
concept,
setofconcepts,
onwhich
and
heheavily
ethnic
Industrialism,
class-consciousness,
relies).
inthisrichly
conceived
racial
tensions
arecarefully
examined
documented,
eloquent
study,
somewhat
inthespirit
oftheEuropean
historians
and
Hill,Maurice
Christopher
Agulhon,
American
influences
orassociations
include
theworkofEric
aboveallE. P. Thompson.
DavidMontgomery,
andthelateHerbert
Gutman.
Thisnational
isunderlined
Foner,
ancestry
forthebook'stitle
anditschapter
oflinesfrom
Mannahatta's
bytheadoption,
epigraphs,
"workie"bard,WaltWhitman.
LITERATURE
inAugust.
AsI LayDying.
William
Novels
1930-1935:
Faulkner,
(New
Light
Pylon
Sanctuary.
ofAmerica,
York:Library
1985),1034pp. $27.50.
hascombined
withNoelPolktopreFaulkner's
mostrecent
Blotner,
biographer,
Joseph
"authoritative"
textoffourmajorworks.Thetextis basedon studyof
senta careful
andcorrectionswithsubsequent
Faulkner's
thesecollated
alterations
typescript
imposed
ortypesetters.
andPolkpoint
outthat,
with
Blotner
forinstance
; Faulkner
Sanctuary
byeditors

American
Studies
Vol.XXIV,
No.1
International,
1986,
April

This content downloaded from 198.91.36.79 on Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:25:11 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

89

thanhissubsequent
wouldhaveus
descriptions
plannedhisworkmorepainstakingly
believe.
A Centennial
Md.:
theCritics:
Selection
M. Thomas
(Frederick,
Inge,ed.,HuckFinnAmong
ofAmerica,
Publications
1985),465pp. $25.00.
University
scholar
resident
atRandolph-Macon
M. ThomasInge,a professor
Collegeandformer
andthehumor
on American
culture
of
fortheU.S.I.A.,is a specialist
(1982-84)
popular
Finnhe hasput
ofthepublication
ofHuckleberry
theoldSouth-West.
Forthecentenary
andanalyses.
tributes
aboutthirty
They
essays,mostofwhicharewell-known
together
Andrew
ofTwain's
tothecomments
(Thomas
Perry,
Sergeant
contemporaries
gobackintime
obserDeanHowells),
andcomeuptothepresent
dayviasomeoftheclassic
Lang,William
andJames
M.Cox.Thereisa newessay
LeoMarx,
vations
LeslieFiedler,
ofLionelTrilling,
ofHuckFinn
anda substantial
annotated
checklist
ofHuck,
Frank
onfilm
versions
byPerry
criticism,
1884-1984,
byThomasA. Tenney.
compiled
Press
onPerformance
intheSouth:
C. Kolin,
ed.,Shakespeare
(Jackson:
University
Essays
Philip
A Study
inInfluence
Writers:
andSouthern
ofMississippi,
1983),297pp.$20.00;Shakespeare
177pp.
withforeword
PressofMississippi,
1985,
byLewisP. Simpson),
(Jackson:
University
$20.00.
invarious
ofShakespeare
looksatthehistory
Thefirst
ofthesecollections
performances
todiscover
Itis no surprise
eratothepresent
thecolonial
day.
partsoftheSouth,from
on the
wasthemostpopulardramatist
Kolin'
s words," Shakespeare
that,inProfessor
intheSouthsince."More
southern
antebellum
playwright
stageandthemostperformed
was
B. Lower,thatOthello
inan essaybyCharles
is theargument,
developed
surprising
wasgranted
theatre
American
isthat19th-century
thepopular
plays.Hisexplanation
among
life."ThesecondKolinvolume
from
as "distanced
of"art"andregarded
theimmunities
andtheworkof
between
orinfluences
Shakespeare
essayson similarities
putstogether
CroweRansom,
writersTwain,Faulkner,
Lanier,
Timrod,
John
Simms,
eightSouthern
thanmight
inmostinstances
better
Theideaworks
andWalker
Robert
PennWarren,
Percy.
be anticipated.
1865-1917
A Study
andVisions:
Dreams
Charles
J.Rooney,
Jr.,
Utopias,
(Westport,
ofAmerican
no.77),208pp.$29.95.
toAmerican
Conn.:Greenwood
Studies,
Press,1985;Contributions
conducted
seminar
ofa George
Thebookisanoutgrowth
byRobert
University
Washington
States
intheUnited
offictional
H. Walker.
Dr.Rooney
thescores
produced
Utopias
analyzes
as
involvement
inWorldWarI. He defines
between
theCivilWarandAmerican
Utopia
thestatus
analternative
workthatpresents
quobydescribwayoflifefrom
"anyfictional
as "individualist,"
arecharacterized
"cooperative,"
inganidealsociety."
TypesofUtopia
obscure
discusses
Professor
and"totalitarian."
many
relatively
Rooney
"legal,""socialist,"
issomewhat
etal.Thebibliography
thefamiliar
onesbyBellamy,
tales,
Donnelly,
alongwith
outofdate.
Consciousness
Dickinson:
andEmily
Salska,WaltWhitman
Poetry
oftheCentral
Agnieszka
220
of
$25.00.
Press,
1985),
pp.
Pennsylvania
(Philadelphia:
University
withthepremise
ofLodz,starts
ThePolishscholar
Salska,oftheUniversity
Agnieszka
American
werethebestpoetsoftheir
andDickinson,
thatthetwocontemporaries,
Whitman
issuesofthedaymust
andaesthetic
andthattheir
totheintellectual
century,
relationship
oflinguistic
inimpeccable
beworthy
ofstudy.
Theresult
isa sensitive
English,
investigation,
ofa "public"anda
andphilosophical
often
close,ofthewritings
surprisingly
aspects,

No.I
Vol.XXIV,
Studies
1986,
American
International,
April

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