Civic Myths: A Law and Literature Approach to Citizenship

FAIN: FA-51456-05

Brook Thomas
Regents of the University of California, Irvine (Irvine, CA 92617-3066)

My proposed book uses literary and legal analysis to illuminate complemetary and conflicting "civic myths," compelling stories that reflect and help to shape attitudes toward citizenship. I have chapters on "'The Scarlet Letter,' the Dissenting Citizen, and Civil Society"; "'The Man Without a Country,' the Patriotic Citizen, and Civil Liberties"; "'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' the Independent Citizen, and Civil Rights"; and "'China Men,' the Ethnic Citizen, and Civility."

Media Coverage

(Media Coverage)
Date: 9/12/2016

Associated Products

CIVIC MYTHS: A LAW AND LITERATURE APPROACH TO CITIZENSHIP (Book)
Title: CIVIC MYTHS: A LAW AND LITERATURE APPROACH TO CITIZENSHIP
Abstract: In his well-received CVIC IDEAS, tracing the history of citizenship laws in the United States, Rogers Smith dismisses myths as potentially dangerous "lies." CIVIC MYTHS responds by stressing the importance of myths for the feeling of national self-belonging. Myths are not lies. They are, as cultural anthropologists have established, narrative responses to socal contradictions. So long as America's civic ideals are potentially contradictory, such as in the desire to serve liberty and equality at the same time, our culture will breed myths. This is not to say that all myths are equally valuable. Some are more healthy for our society than others. Although we cannot escape myth, we need to develop the capacity to work on/with our civic myths. CIVIC MYTHS stresses the role literature can play in our civic education by showing how works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edwar Everett Hale, Mark Twain, and Maxine Hong Kingston work on/with myths about the good citizen, ther patriotic citizen, the independent citizen, and the immigrant citizen.
Year: 2007
Access Model: purchase/library
Publisher: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780807858462
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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