Gold Standard and the Logic of Naturalism - American Literature At the Turn of the Century

"Michaels has written a book that will be essential reading for all those interested in American fiction and American culture. . . . This is a daring, brash work of the best kind—it will be much discussed."—Philip Fisher, Brandeis University

"Like Michel Foucault, Michaels locates the 'political' in the relations between individuals, in consciousness, and in language. His work represents a far more subtle, internalized, and unschematic conception of the convergence of literature and power than we have had in American studies. He is one of the most gifted practitioners of cultural criticism today."—Leo Marx, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

List of contents

Acknowledgments 
INTRODUCTION: THE WRITER'S MARK 
1. SISTER CARRIE'S POPULAR ECONOMY 
2. DREISER'S FINANCIER: THE MAN OF BUSINESS AS A MAN OF LETTERS
3. ROMANCE AND REAL ESTATE 
4. THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTRACT 
5. THE GOLD STANDARD AND THE LOGIC 
OF NATURALISM
6. CORPORATE FICTION 
7. ACTION AND ACCIDENT: PHOTOGRAPHY AND WRITING
Index 

About the author

Walter Benn Michaels teaches English at Johns Hopkins University.

Summary

Discusses ways of creating value in turn-of-the-century American capitalism. Focusing on such topics as the alienation of property, the invention of masochism, and the battle over free silver, this title examines the participation of cultural forms in these phenomena.

Product details

• Authors: Walter Benn Michaels, Michaels Walter Benn
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.07.1992
• EAN: 9780520059825
• ISBN: 978-0-520-05982-5
• No. of pages: 257
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 215 mm x 10 mm
• Series: New Historicism: Studies in Cu; The New Historicism: Studies in Cultural Poetics
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / 20th Century, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000, LITERARY CRITICISM / Novel as Form