Description
Book SynopsisInexorable Yankeehood analyzes the clash between Henry James and American journalism during his 1904-5 tour. Drawing on the contemporary press and supplemented by a neglected visual archive, it charts James's progress as he gathers the impressions for his "theory of America." As James comes before the public, his critique unfolds in a rising arc. Press response follows its own trajectory, divided between reviling the messenger and considering the justice of his message. At the apex of his critique, James's "alphabet of impressions" anticipates the charges of the era's radical journalists. Although many scholars explore James's critique of America and his attitudes to journalism as revealed in fiction, none analyzes the clash between James and the press during his visit. This book redresses that omission, en route to supplying a missing chapter in American cultural history.
Trade ReviewHoople’s thorough cultural historical study is groundbreaking not only because he scrutinizes the reaction of the press to James as a public figure, but also because it casts light on America’s self image as rendered by the contemporary media. . . .The book can be of interest not only to James scholars or students of the history of American journalism, but also to cultural and social historians wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the discourse of American identity and American culture. The appendix, with a chronology of James’s travels and the corresponding press reports, is a useful addition, as is the map at the beginning of the book tracing his journey and indicating the cities he visited. * Journal of American Studies of Turkey *
