Revolution and the Word - Introduction!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the introductory chapter to Davidson's updated edition. I feel that she is very reflective and a dedicated scholar, since she took the time to update her analysis of the rise of the early American novel. I loved that she discussed how various theories and fields of criticism have changed her perspective and caused her to analyze her own analysis. 

Davidson's use of comparing and contrasting binary structures, then criticizing the problematic nature of such binaries was particularly interesting to me (and probably to many of us in the literary theory course after Easterbrook's lecture on Derrida yesterday). In recognizing the complicated nature of such systems, Davidson provides a deeper philosophical analysis of the early American lifestyle, than David Starr's account, which for me was quite refreshing. For instance the bifurcations of male/political/public v. female/sentimental/domestic sphere in relation to the complexities of gender. Her ability to highlight and unpack some of the tensions that arose in the late eighteenth century was of particular interest to me: "Every woman's movement from the late eighteenth century to the present has had to face the same contradiction between demanding equal legal or legislative treatment an advocating special consideration. Insisting that laws be changed, for example, to grant women the right to vote presumes that women are equal to men and that equal opportunity will rectify the past discrimination. However the argument for special consideration implies that a long history of unequal opportunity...necessarily means that women are less prepared than men for these equal opportunities" (32). Whew, that's some powerful stuff! During her discussion of gender and race, I started thinking about being a woman with a time machine. What would it actually be like to live during this time? Davidson's discussion of the idea of "nationalism" and "freedom" during a time when a number of citizens were excluded from the community has been explored more by postcolonial and postmodern theorists; however, class, race, and gender differences still permeate our ideological beliefs about who can/cannot succeed in America. Like we discussed a few weeks ago, the American dream is a false ideology (with it's own binary tension, who can/who can't or who has/who hasn't achieved it). I've always thought comedy is one of the best ways to observe and examine such problems (while making fun of them), so here's a good example of how being a white male is still seen as a superior position in our society. Warning, contains expletives! Louie CK Loves Being a White Male! Davidson calls the idea of America being unified after the American Revolution a myth; I agree. How unified could we be when we have categorical distinctions like high and low culture? (All of you probably thought, stand-up comedy, how low brow to post in an academic blog, right?) 

Finally, I also loved Davidson's inclusion of questions every few paragraphs. Again, this harkens back to a more philosophical exploration of the time period. I especially liked the question, "Is reading the same book sharing a culture?" Initially, I thought, "why, yes, yes it is;" however, I feel like I need to consider this question more deeply, especially in relation to the various definitions of culture. The complexity of definitions is another problem Davidson highlights, and I enjoyed her discussions of gender, race, equality, and subversion; each of these ideas is defined differently by different people and especially different periods of time. Although I do not consider myself a relativist, I felt that Davidson's discussion of cultural construction of terms was relevant to her argument, and pertinent to the reflection she is doing in the introduction. 

Overall, I am (now) excited to be working with this book for my presentation in a couple of weeks!