Overview
"Theodore Parker (1810-1860) was a powerful preacher who rejected the authority of the Bible and of Jesus, a brilliant scholar who became a popular agitator for the abolition of slavery and for women's rights, and a political theorist who defined democracy as """"government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people""""--words that inspired Abraham Lincoln. Parker had more influence than anyone except Ralph Waldo Emerson in shaping Transcendentalism in America. In American Heretic, Dean Grodzins offers a compelling account of the remarkable first phase of Parker's career, when this complex man--charismatic yet awkward, brave yet insecure--rose from poverty and obscurity to fame and notoriety as a Transcendentalist prophet. Grodzins reveals hitherto hidden facets of Parker's life, including his love for a woman who was not his wife, and presents fresh perspectives on Transcendentalism. Grodzins explores Transcendentalism's religious roots, shows the profound religious and political issues at stake in the """"Transcendentalist controversy,"""" and offers new insights into Parker's Transcendentalist colleagues, including Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Bronson Alcott. He traces, too, the intellectual origins of Parker's epochal definition of democracy as government of, by, and for the people. The manuscript of this book was awarded the Allan Nevins Prize by the Society of American Historians."
Full Product Details
Author: Dean Grodzins
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 4.60cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 1.270kg
ISBN: 9781469622941
ISBN 10: 1469622947
Pages: 656
Publication Date: 30 September 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
This fascinating biography of one of the leading intellectuals in the Transcendentalist movement brings together an intimate insight into Parker's personal life with a vivid depiction of the European cultures that engaged him. Dean Grodzins has opened his subject's inner life and has used it to restore drama and depth to a major phase of American intellectual history. (John Higham, The Johns Hopkins University) Elegantly written and thoroughly researched, Grodzins's biography promises to be the standard life of Parker for our generation and beyond. (Charles Capper, author of Margaret Fuller: An American Romantic Life ) Skillfully traces Parker's intellectual evolution. . . . A masterful treatment of Parker's life and times. . . . A fresh look at an important figure in American religious history. -- Journal of the American Academy of Religion Scholars of American religious history owe a debt to Grodzins for a masterful treatment of Parker's life and times. . . . A fresh look at an important figure in American religious history. -- Journal of American Academy for Religion
Skillfully traces Parker's intellectual evolution. . . . A masterful treatment of Parker's life and times. . . . A fresh look at an important figure in American religious history. -- Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Author Information
Dean Grodzins is a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Historical Society, USA.
