Sensitive to the nation's memory of colonial brutality, these poets mingled their pride in America with moral protest against racism. Some identified a dark side to the nation's history, particularly in the conflicts between white pioneers and Native Americans, that haunted their otherwise confident celebrations of patriotism. Others used poetry as a vehicle of discovery to challenge existing historical accounts or to criticize the failures of American democracy. Investigating these five major writers in terms of their cultural and political moment, Westover demonstrates how they dramatized the process of nation-building.
Colonization inevitably results in a sense of displacement. Each of these five poets struggled with such cultural alienation—especially those who belonged to a racial, sexual, or gender minority. They endeavored to unite their voices in a "vocabulary of the national," a search to define the concept of "we" that would encompass all modern readers while recognizing those whom previous generations had dismissed. In this way, each writer hoped to redeem the country's losses symbolically through language.
Sensitive to the nation's memory of colonial brutality, these poets mingled their pride in America with moral protest against racism. Some identified a dark side to the nation's history, particularly in the conflicts between white pioneers and Native Americans, that haunted their otherwise confident celebrations of patriotism. Others used poetry as a vehicle of discovery to challenge existing historical accounts or to criticize the failures of American democracy. Investigating these five major writers in terms of their cultural and political moment, Westover demonstrates how they dramatized the process of nation-building.
Colonization inevitably results in a sense of displacement. Each of these five poets struggled with such cultural alienation—especially those who belonged to a racial, sexual, or gender minority. They endeavored to unite their voices in a "vocabulary of the national," a search to define the concept of "we" that would encompass all modern readers while recognizing those whom previous generations had dismissed. In this way, each writer hoped to redeem the country's losses symbolically through language.
The Colonial Moment: Discoveries and Settlements in Modern American Poetry
246
The Colonial Moment: Discoveries and Settlements in Modern American Poetry
246Hardcover(1)
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780875803258 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Cornell University Press |
| Publication date: | 07/26/2004 |
| Edition description: | 1 |
| Pages: | 246 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |