Title: Sentimental bodies
First published: 1998
Description: Sentimentalism, sex, the construction of the modern body, and the origins of American liberalism all come under scrutiny in this rich discussion of political life in the early republic. Here Bruce Burgett enters into debates over the "public sphere," a concept introduced by Jurgen Habermas that has led theorists to grapple with such polarities as public and private, polity and personality, citizenship and subjection.

With the literary public sphere as his primary focus, Burgett sets out to challenge the Enlightenment opposition of reason and sentiment as the fundamental grid for understanding American political culture.
Subjects: Politics and literature, History, Sentimentalism in literature, Intellectual life, History and criticism, American literature, Sex role in literature, Citizenship in literature, Gender identity in literature, Body, Human, in literature, Human body in literature, American literature, history and criticism, 1783-1850, United states, intellectual life, Literature, English, Human Body, In literature, Politics
Places: United States
Time periods: 1783-1865, 1783-1850, 19th century, 18th century
LC classification: PS217.P64 B87 1998