Overview

The figure of the rebel of the 1950s shaped the imagination of the American post-war generation. Yet the notoriety of the rebel resides uneasily beside that of the conformist, ironically one of the other central figures of the decade. This collection of essays, which originated at an international conference in Trier, Germany, in 2005, sets out to explain the multiple representations of rebellion and affirmation in 1950s American culture. It explores the ways in which rebellion was 'contained' and also disruptive during this pivotal decade of American ascendance on the global scene. In a series of essays written by prominent American Studies scholars in the United States and Germany, the collection explores the meaning of rebellion in the 1950s and its role in shaping theological, literary and cultural discourses.

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9783039109364

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Reviews

-'Rebels without a Cause?' is a wide ranging reappraisal of postwar America, challenging dominant accounts of the era's many cultural spaces. 'Rebels' offers fresh insights on prominent texts and figures: Allen Ginsberg, Reinhold Niebuhr, 'The Catcher in the Rye', alien invasion movies, and the epic film 'Giant'. It also considers lesser known elements: the early ecology and fundamentalist movements, Hispanic Civil Rights, Grandma Moses, and the postwar avant-garde. This book shakes up monolithic conceptions of early Cold War America.- (Leerom Medovoi, Portland State University)

«'Rebels without a Cause?' is a wide ranging reappraisal of postwar America, challenging dominant accounts of the era's many cultural spaces. 'Rebels' offers fresh insights on prominent texts and figures: Allen Ginsberg, Reinhold Niebubr, 'The Catcher in the Rye', alien invasion movies, and the epic film 'Giant'. It also considers lesser known elements: the early ecology and fundamentalist movements, Hispanic Civil Rights, Grandma Moses, and the postwar avant-garde. This book shakes up monolithic conceptions of early Cold War America.

Author Information

The Editors: Gerd Hurm is professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Trier and director of the Trier Center for American Studies. His publications include monographs on modern American urban fiction and on the politics of the vernacular in Mark Twain's writings. Ann Marie Fallon is assistant professor in the University Studies program at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. She was a Fulbright visiting lecturer at the Trier Center for American Studies in 2004-2005. Her publications include articles on globalization and aesthetics, avant-garde writers in Cuba and Argentina and on Robinson Crusoe.

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