The Beginnings of Critical Realism in America: Main Currents in American Thought: 03

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2013
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This final volume of Vernon Louis Parrington's Pultzer Prize-winning study deals with the decay of romantic optimism. It shows that the cause of decay is attributed to three sources: stratifying of economics under the pressure of centralization; the rise of mechanistic science; and the emergence of a spirit of skepticism which, with teachings of the sciences and lessons of intellectuals, has resulted in the questioning of democratic ideals.
Parrington presents the movement of liberalism from 1913 to 1917, and the reaction to it following World War I. He notes that liberals announced that democratic hopes had not been fulfilled; the Constitution was not a democratic instrument nor was it intended to be; and while Americans had professed to create a democracy, they had in fact created a plutocracy.
Industrialization of America under the leadership of the middle class and the rise of critical attitudes towards the ideals and handiwork of that class are examined in great detail. Parrington's interpretation of the literature during this time focuses on four divisions of development: the conquest of America by the middle class; the challenge of that overlordship by democratic agrarianism; the intellectual revolution brought about by science and the appropriation of science by the middle class; and the rise of detached criticism by younger intellectuals. A new introduction by Bruce Brown highlights Parrington's life and explains the importance of this volume.

Synopsis

This final volume of Vernon Louis Parrington's Pultzer Prize-winning study deals with the decay of romantic optimism. It shows that the cause of decay is attributed to three sources: stratifying of economics under the pressure of centralization; the rise of mechanistic science; and the emergence of a spirit of skepticism which, with teachings of the sciences and lessons of intellectuals, has resulted in the questioning of democratic ideals.

Parrington presents the movement of liberalism from 1913 to 1917, and the reaction to it following World War I. He notes that liberals announced that democratic hopes had not been fulfilled; the Constitution was not a democratic instrument nor was it intended to be; and while Americans had professed to create a democracy, they had in fact created a plutocracy.

Industrialization of America under the leadership of the middle class and the rise of critical attitudes towards the ideals and handiwork of that class are examined in great detail. Parrington's interpretation of the literature during this time focuses on four divisions of development: the conquest of America by the middle class; the challenge of that overlordship by democratic agrarianism; the intellectual revolution brought about by science and the appropriation of science by the middle class; and the rise of detached criticism by younger intellectuals. A new introduction by Bruce Brown highlights Parrington's life and explains the importance of this volume.

$61.95

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 486
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 15 Mar 2013
ISBN 10: 1412851645
ISBN 13: 9781412851640

Media Reviews

Who, after all, can deny the force of these three volumes, or the courage of this scholar who throughout the long years in his study in the University of Washington, grappled quietly and tenaciously with these three centuries of tangled thought? He has been not only the writer of a great book, but, presumably, will be the cause of great books from other men. --Stanley T. Williams, The New England Quarterly The death of Professor Parrington prevented the completion of the third volume of his notable trilogy upon the history of American thought. The plan for the entire volume had been worked out, however, and enough of the actual writing finished to give a fairly connected account from 1860 to 1900 . . . The present volume possesses all the virtues of the earlier ones . . . [A] path-breaking effort in the social history of American literature. His work is epoch marking if not epoch making. Students both of American literature and American history will long remain profoundly in his debt. --A. M. Schlesinger, Modern Language Notes This is volume three of the series Main Currents in American Thought, and undertakes to cover the period 1860-1920 . . . One sees clearly, in the course of this volume, that human creations are best explained by their relations with one another. --A. Philip McMahon, Parnassus [T]he truth of the matter is that this volume, in spite of its having been left for the greater part uncompleted, and in spite of the difficulties inherent in the materials out of which it was made, is so much the superior of those to which it is the sequel that it is more likely to prove an enduring monument to Professor Parrington's profound consideration and understanding of his country's intellectual and cultural development than they. --V. L. O. Chittick, American Literature Review on all three volumes of Main Currents in American Thought Parrington's place in the history of American literary thought once seemed secure, and his monumental three-volume study was regarded as the definitive assessment of American letters. So dominant was Main Currents that the years from 1927 through the early 1950s might well be termed 'the age of Parrington' . . . [N]o one has provided a representation of the history of American cultural production that was so exciting, so alive with the pulse of pressing social realities of contemporary life, so unabashedly partisan and dialectical, and so 'American' as did Parrington. --Russell J. Reising, American Quarterly
-Who, after all, can deny the force of these three volumes, or the courage of this scholar who throughout the long years in his study in the University of Washington, grappled quietly and tenaciously with these three centuries of tangled thought? He has been not only the writer of a great book, but, presumably, will be the cause of great books from other men.- --Stanley T. Williams, The New England Quarterly -The death of Professor Parrington prevented the completion of the third volume of his notable trilogy upon the history of American thought. The plan for the entire volume had been worked out, however, and enough of the actual writing finished to give a fairly connected account from 1860 to 1900 . . . The present volume possesses all the virtues of the earlier ones . . . [A] path-breaking effort in the social history of American literature. His work is epoch marking if not epoch making. Students both of American literature and American history will long remain profoundly in his debt.- --A. M. Schlesinger, Modern Language Notes -This is volume three of the series Main Currents in American Thought, and undertakes to cover the period 1860-1920 . . . One sees clearly, in the course of this volume, that human creations are best explained by their relations with one another.- --A. Philip McMahon, Parnassus -[T]he truth of the matter is that this volume, in spite of its having been left for the greater part uncompleted, and in spite of the difficulties inherent in the materials out of which it was made, is so much the superior of those to which it is the sequel that it is more likely to prove an enduring monument to Professor Parrington's profound consideration and understanding of his country's intellectual and cultural development than they.- --V. L. O. Chittick, American Literature Review on all three volumes of Main Currents in American Thought -Parrington's place in the history of American literary thought once seemed secure, and his monumental three-volume study was regarded as the definitive assessment of American letters. So dominant was Main Currents that the years from 1927 through the early 1950s might well be termed 'the age of Parrington' . . . [N]o one has provided a representation of the history of American cultural production that was so exciting, so alive with the pulse of pressing social realities of contemporary life, so unabashedly partisan and dialectical, and so 'American' as did Parrington.- --Russell J. Reising, American Quarterly

Author Bio

Vernon Louis Parrington (1871-1929) is credited as being one of the co-founders of the American Studies movement. In addition to this book, he is the author of The Connecticut Wits and Sinclair Lewis, Our Own Diogenes. Bruce Brown has done investigative reporting for the New York Times and foreign correspondence for Atlantic Monthly . In addition, he is the author of eight books, including Mountain in the Clouds and The History of the Corporation.