Mania for Freedom: American Literatures of Enthusiasm from the Revolution to the Civil War

Author/Contributor(s):	Kilgore, John Mac
Publisher:	University of North Carolina Press
Date:	10/31/2016
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

"In this study of literature in antebellum America, John Mac Kilgore argues that a distinct rhetorical tradition of enthusiasm emerged as a form of political dissent. This was literature written to confront normative values, to respond to critical injustice, and to incite revolt, if not broad change. Literary enthusiasm came to signify a particular form of protest among marginalized groups, including commoners, slaves, immigrants, Native Americans, women, and abolitionists. These dissenting voices, these enthusiasts, fought against what they viewed as tyranny while using their writings to forge international or anti-nationalistic political affiliations"--