31 January 2011
McConnell Event
Dr. Natalie Feuhrer-Taylor – Literary Statesmanship
In her first trip to the McConnell Center, Dr. Feuhrer-Taylor discussed and answered questions about Henry Adams’s Democracy: an American Novel. Her lecture focused on the motivating principle of Adams’s work: “literary statesmanship.” This term refers to Adams’s concept of influencing the sphere of governance not through elected office, but instead through thought provoking literature. For many, this is a difficult concept to grasp. With the cyclical movement of individuals back and forth from lobbying, governing, and commentating, Adams’s “literary statesmanship” is a lost concept.
In his novel, Adams presents several motifs critiquing American democracy in the Gilded Age. His discussion of pervasive corruption and the degenerative trajectory of American politics have garnered him the label of pessimist. Feuhrer-Taylor suggests that such judgment is rash and fails to examine some of the underlying messages of the book. She believes that Adams, despite the marginally vitriolic tenor of Democracy, ultimately affirms democracy in America. This assertion of an underlying message lacks the proof to justify a reevaluation of Adams. The novel is an accurate portrayal of the possible results of a democratic system, presented by an embittered man who was unable to break into the political scene of his age.
Dr. Feuhrer-Taylor provided some food for thought, but, as with Adams’s novel, it was nothing thoughtful Americans had not considered before.
McConnell Event
Dr. Natalie Feuhrer-Taylor – Literary Statesmanship
In her first trip to the McConnell Center, Dr. Feuhrer-Taylor discussed and answered questions about Henry Adams’s Democracy: an American Novel. Her lecture focused on the motivating principle of Adams’s work: “literary statesmanship.” This term refers to Adams’s concept of influencing the sphere of governance not through elected office, but instead through thought provoking literature. For many, this is a difficult concept to grasp. With the cyclical movement of individuals back and forth from lobbying, governing, and commentating, Adams’s “literary statesmanship” is a lost concept.
In his novel, Adams presents several motifs critiquing American democracy in the Gilded Age. His discussion of pervasive corruption and the degenerative trajectory of American politics have garnered him the label of pessimist. Feuhrer-Taylor suggests that such judgment is rash and fails to examine some of the underlying messages of the book. She believes that Adams, despite the marginally vitriolic tenor of Democracy, ultimately affirms democracy in America. This assertion of an underlying message lacks the proof to justify a reevaluation of Adams. The novel is an accurate portrayal of the possible results of a democratic system, presented by an embittered man who was unable to break into the political scene of his age.
Dr. Feuhrer-Taylor provided some food for thought, but, as with Adams’s novel, it was nothing thoughtful Americans had not considered before.