 |
"Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan": Tragic Populism in Philip Roth's America
| |
| | Unformatted Document Text:
1
Philip Abbott
Dept. Political Science
Wayne State University
2067 FAB
Detroit, MI 48202
e-mail: ## email not listed ##
“‘Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan’: Democratic Theory, Populism and Philip Roth’s
American Trilogy”*
*Prepared for delivery at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 2 - September 5, 2004. Copyright by the American Political Science Association.
Abstract
Populism, as both ideology and social movement, is nearly a universal, albeit
sporadic, feature of all modern democratic political systems. Populism is also arguably the only example of an indigenous radical mass movement in America and after the discredited state of socialism, the only continuing source of democratic protest. Yet populism does not enjoy a central place in democratic theory. In fact, many writers contend that when populism arises, it has a destabilizing effect on democratic regimes. Even when others attempt to credit populism, they acknowledge the existence of significant negative features. This essay reviews the contested status of populism and suggests a greater appreciation of its positive contribution to democratic theory can be reached through an analysis of Philip Roth’s “American Trilogy.” Like Roth, students of populism place their assessments in the context of historical narratives. Thus Roth’s fictional recreations of post-war America can be compared to the analyses of “populist moments” in America analyzed by both populist critics and defenders. Unlike most democratic theorists, however, Roth is willing to explore the nature and source of populist anger and related expressions and thus expose its poignant dimensions. By appending Roth’s insights, it is possible to ameliorate populism’s contested status in democratic theory by acknowledging the positive role of emotion, properly understood, in political protest.
Election night at midnight; Boy Bryan’s defeat. Defeat of western silver. Defeat of the wheat. Victory of letterfiles And plutocrats in miles With dollar signs upon their coats, Diamond watchchains on their vest And spats on their feet Victory of custodians, Plymouth Rock, And all that inbred and landlord stock. Victory of the neat.
|
| |
| |
|
|
1
Philip Abbott
Dept. Political Science
Wayne State University
2067 FAB
Detroit, MI 48202
e-mail: ## email not listed ##
“‘Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan’: Democratic Theory, Populism and Philip Roth’s
American Trilogy”*
*Prepared for delivery at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, September 2 - September 5, 2004. Copyright by the American Political
Science Association.
Abstract
Populism, as both ideology and social movement, is nearly a universal, albeit
sporadic, feature of all modern democratic political systems. Populism is also arguably
the only example of an indigenous radical mass movement in America and after the
discredited state of socialism, the only continuing source of democratic protest. Yet
populism does not enjoy a central place in democratic theory. In fact, many writers
contend that when populism arises, it has a destabilizing effect on democratic regimes.
Even when others attempt to credit populism, they acknowledge the existence of
significant negative features. This essay reviews the contested status of populism and
suggests a greater appreciation of its positive contribution to democratic theory can be
reached through an analysis of Philip Roth’s “American Trilogy.” Like Roth, students of
populism place their assessments in the context of historical narratives. Thus Roth’s
fictional recreations of post-war America can be compared to the analyses of “populist
moments” in America analyzed by both populist critics and defenders. Unlike most
democratic theorists, however, Roth is willing to explore the nature and source of
populist anger and related expressions and thus expose its poignant dimensions. By
appending Roth’s insights, it is possible to ameliorate populism’s contested status in
democratic theory by acknowledging the positive role of emotion, properly understood, in
political protest.
Election night at midnight;
Boy Bryan’s defeat.
Defeat of western silver.
Defeat of the wheat.
Victory of letterfiles
And plutocrats in miles
With dollar signs upon their coats,
Diamond watchchains on their vest
And spats on their feet
Victory of custodians,
Plymouth Rock,
And all that inbred and landlord stock.
Victory of the neat.
|
|
 Convention | | Submission, Review, and Scheduling! All Academic Convention can help with all of your abstract management needs and many more. Contact us today for a quote! | | Submission - Custom fields, multiple submission types, tracks, audio visual, multiple upload formats, automatic conversion to pdf. | | Review - Peer Review, Bulk reviewer assignment, bulk emails, ranking, z-score statistics, and multiple worksheets! | | Reports - Many standard and custom reports generated while you wait. Print programs with participant indexes, event grids, and more! | | Scheduling - Flexible and convenient grid scheduling within rooms and buildings. Conflict checking and advanced filtering. | | Communication - Bulk email tools to help your administrators send reminders and responses. Use form letters, a message center, and much more! | | Management - Search tools, duplicate people management, editing tools, submission transfers, many tools to manage a variety of conference management headaches! | | Click here for more information. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Page 1 of 25 
