num_pages: 238
description: American culture, by definition, lacked a coherent identity. The new-found man was necessarily initiated into an intricate masquerade, whose postures often seemed grotesque in comparison to the more staid contentions of transatlantic visitors. The carnival tradition of America, asserts the author of this volume, insists on an inexhaustible play of mobility, transformation and fun. Such masks may be festal masks of joyous regeneration, or secretive masks hiding nothing but vacuum or dread. The essays in this book explore that dichotomy.
language: English
title: The Great American Masquerade
titlecomplete: The Great American Masquerade (Critical Studies Series)
ratings_count: 1
publisher: Rl Innactive Titles