The fate of America : an inquiry into national character
"From the Founding Fathers and the legendary frontiersmen and cowboys, to astronauts, athletes, and other contemporary heroes, Michael Gellert profiles the development of the American heroic ideal. This central component of our national character is examined against the backdrop of three centuries of American history. He reveals how this principle has expressed the nation's aspiration toward greatness and its sense of identity and purpose. He describes how our national character influenced this ideal and pinpoints what has caused it to go awry."--Jacket
xv, 366 pages ; 24 cm
9781574883565, 9781574884715, 1574883569, 1574884719
46449341
Two souls within the human breast
The revolutionary
The frontiersman
Contemporary heroic idealism
The commercialism of America's heroic ideal
Heroic mania
The imitation of heroism
Heroic tunnel vision
The escape from heroism
The metaphor of depth
The historical roots of American innocence
Jefferson's bastards
The land of the overrated child
The metaphor of the eternally young hero
The explosion of innocence
The metaphor of America's darkness
The implosion of innocence
The sacrifice of innocence
America in the third millennium