Perfecting Friendship

Politics and Affiliation in Early American Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Women Authors, American, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Perfecting Friendship by Ivy Schweitzer, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ivy Schweitzer ISBN: 9780807876718
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: September 6, 2007
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Ivy Schweitzer
ISBN: 9780807876718
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: September 6, 2007
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Contemporary notions of friendship regularly place it in the private sphere, associated with feminized forms of sympathy and affection. As Ivy Schweitzer explains, however, this perception leads to a misunderstanding of American history. In an exploration of early American literature and culture, Schweitzer uncovers friendships built on a classical model that is both public and political in nature.

Schweitzer begins with Aristotle's ideal of "perfect" friendship that positions freely chosen relationships among equals as the highest realization of ethical, social, and political bonds. Evidence in works by John Winthrop, Hannah Foster, James Fenimore Cooper, and Catharine Sedgwick confirms that this classical model shaped early American concepts of friendship and, thus, democracy. Schweitzer argues that recognizing the centrality of friendship as a cultural institution is critical to understanding the rationales for consolidating power among white males in the young nation. She also demonstrates how women, nonelite groups, and minorities have appropriated and redefined the discourse of perfect friendship, making equality its result rather than its requirement. By recovering the public nature of friendship, Schweitzer establishes discourse about affection and affiliation as a central component of American identity and democratic community.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Contemporary notions of friendship regularly place it in the private sphere, associated with feminized forms of sympathy and affection. As Ivy Schweitzer explains, however, this perception leads to a misunderstanding of American history. In an exploration of early American literature and culture, Schweitzer uncovers friendships built on a classical model that is both public and political in nature.

Schweitzer begins with Aristotle's ideal of "perfect" friendship that positions freely chosen relationships among equals as the highest realization of ethical, social, and political bonds. Evidence in works by John Winthrop, Hannah Foster, James Fenimore Cooper, and Catharine Sedgwick confirms that this classical model shaped early American concepts of friendship and, thus, democracy. Schweitzer argues that recognizing the centrality of friendship as a cultural institution is critical to understanding the rationales for consolidating power among white males in the young nation. She also demonstrates how women, nonelite groups, and minorities have appropriated and redefined the discourse of perfect friendship, making equality its result rather than its requirement. By recovering the public nature of friendship, Schweitzer establishes discourse about affection and affiliation as a central component of American identity and democratic community.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book America's Communal Utopias by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Music and the Making of a New South by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book A Richer Heritage by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book The Long Shadow of the Civil War by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book What Would Jesus Read? by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Mockingbird Song by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book The Great Dismal by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book A Little Taste of Freedom by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book The Maya of Morganton by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Iron Confederacies by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Forging Freedom by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Guaranteed Pure by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Blurred Borders by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Carolina in Crisis by Ivy Schweitzer
Cover of the book Archives of Dispossession by Ivy Schweitzer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy