Liberalism, Theology, and the Performative in Antebellum American Literature

During the 1850s, a political, social, and economic crisis in the United States led to a range of narrative fiction that suggested a foundational link between liberal institutions and performative utterances. However, writers from Herman Melville to Captain Mayne Reid and E.D.E.N. Southworth argued that such naked authority must be supplemented by Christianity, which can represent Christian transcendence and account for revealed truth. This body of fiction registered a desire to reconstitute political authority on transcendent and representable ground, augmenting institutional reliance on mere words and assuaging the contemporary crises of confidence and authority.

Format: Hardback
Length: 170 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The 1850s in the United States were a time of profound political, social, and economic upheaval, marked by a range of narrative fiction that sought to establish a fundamental connection between liberal institutions and performative utterances. This fiction suggested that auctions, trials, marriages, and contracts, among other social interactions, relied on the self-constituting authority of words and performances, which could be appropriated by anyone and everyone. While some writers saw this as a liberatory and egalitarian force, others argued that such naked authority needed to be supplemented. A significant portion of 1850s literature advocated for Christianity as the source of this supplement, drawing upon thinkers like Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben who believed that legitimate political authority depended on its ability to represent Christian transcendence and account for revealed truth. This diverse body of fiction expressed a longing to reconstitute political authority on transcendent and representable grounds, augmenting institutional reliance on mere words and addressing the contemporary crises of confidence and authority.

The 1850s in the United States were a time of profound political, social, and economic upheaval, marked by a range of narrative fiction that sought to establish a fundamental connection between liberal institutions and performative utterances. This fiction suggested that auctions, trials, marriages, and contracts, among other social interactions, relied on the self-constituting authority of words and performances, which could be appropriated by anyone and everyone. While some writers saw this as a liberatory and egalitarian force, others argued that such naked authority needed to be supplemented. A significant portion of 1850s literature advocated for Christianity as the source of this supplement, drawing upon thinkers like Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben who believed that legitimate political authority depended on its ability to represent Christian transcendence and account for revealed truth. This diverse body of fiction expressed a longing to reconstitute political authority on transcendent and representable grounds, augmenting institutional reliance on mere words and addressing the contemporary crises of confidence and authority.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032368832