Wilderness and Wall Street: Privilege, Community, and Restraint in Literature of the New York Frontier
D'Errico, Jon Mark
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/81511
Description
Title
Wilderness and Wall Street: Privilege, Community, and Restraint in Literature of the New York Frontier
Author(s)
D'Errico, Jon Mark
Issue Date
2000
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Parker, Robert Dale
Department of Study
English
Discipline
English
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
American Studies
Language
eng
Abstract
In the American Studies tradition, the frontier has long been equated with unfettered individualism---imagined in symbolic opposition to the restraint on individual action required by community. The current study reconsiders the role of literature in promoting frontier individualism at the expense of frontier community. I argue that the early-industrial trial preference for frontier individualism masks an older commitment to community building, that the tension between community and individualism carries a strong class component, and that the dominant nineteenth-century aesthetic response to the frontier promotes the agenda of economic elitism.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
