Frederick M. Dolan's Books

Allegories of America

Narratives, Metaphysics, Politics

By: Frederick M. Dolan

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Allegories of America

Narratives, Metaphysics, Politics

By: Frederick M. Dolan

Allegories of America offers a bold idea of what, in terms of political theory, it means to be American. Beginning with the question What do we want from a theory of politics? Dolan explores the metaphysics of American-ness and stops along the way to reflect on John Winthrop, the Constitution, 1950s behavioralist social science, James Merrill, and William Burroughs. The pressing problem, in Dolan's view, is how to find a vocabulary for politics in the absence of European metaphysics. American political thinkers, he suggests, might respond by approaching their own theories as allegories. The postmodern dilemma of the loss of traditional absolutes would thus assume the status of a national mythology—America's perennial identity crisis in the absence of a tradition establishing the legitimacy of its founding. After examining the mid-Atlantic sermons of John Winthrop, the spiritual founding father, Dolan reflects on the authority of the Constitution and the Federalist. He then takes on questions of representation in Cold War ideology, focusing on the language of David Easton and other liberal political "behaviorists," as well as on cold War cinema and the coverage of international affairs by American journalists. Additional discussions are inspired by Hannah Arendt's recasting of political theory in a narrative framework. here Dolan considers two starkly contrasting postwar literary figures—William S. Burroughs and James Merrill—both of whom have a troubled relationship to politics but nonetheless register an urgent need to articulate its dangers and opportunities. Alongside Merrill's unraveling of the distinction between the serious and the fictive, Dolan assesses the attempt in Arendt's On Revolution to reclaim fictional devices for political reflection.

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254

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1501726242

ISBN 13

9781501726248

A Certain Curve of Horn

The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola

By: John Frederick Walker

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A Certain Curve of Horn

The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola

By: John Frederick Walker

“Walker . . . weaves a surprisingly fascinating story around one animal, involving colonialism, revolution, biology, and politics . . . Hard to put down.” —Booklist In A Certain Curve of Horn, veteran journalist John Frederick Walker tells the story of one of the most revered and endangered of the regal beasts of Africa: the giant sable antelope of Angola, a majestic, coal-black quadruped with breathtaking curved horns over five feet long. It is an enthralling and tragic tale of exploration and adventure, politics and war, the brutal realities of life in Africa today and the bitter choices of conflicting conservation strategies. A Certain Curve of Horn traces the sable’s emergence as a highly sought-after natural history prize before the First World War, and follows its struggle to survive in a war zone fought over by the troops of half a dozen nations, and its transformation into a political symbol and conservation icon. As he follows the trail of this mysterious animal, Walker interweaves the stories of the adventurers, scientists, and warriors who have come under the thrall of the beast, and how their actions would shape the fate of the giant sable antelope and the history of the war-torn nation that is its only home. “A Certain Curve of Horn deserves to be ranked with Peter Matthiessen’s classic, The Snow Leopard.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Page Count

693

Publisher

Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

Published Date

ISBN 10

0802194427

ISBN 13

9780802194428

Allegories of America

Narratives, Metaphysics, Politics

By: Frederick M. Dolan

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Allegories of America

Narratives, Metaphysics, Politics

By: Frederick M. Dolan

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

254

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1501726242

ISBN 13

9781501726248

Book's by Frederick M. Dolan

Allegories of America

Allegories of America

A Certain Curve of Horn

A Certain Curve of Horn

Allegories of America

Allegories of America

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