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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization
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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization Paperback - 2012

by Ryan Poll


From the publisher

The small town has become a national icon that circulates widely in literature, culture, and politics as an authentic American space and community. Yet there are surprisingly few critical studies that analyze the small town's centrality to the United States' identity and imagination.

In Main Street and Empire, Ryan Poll addresses this need, arguing that the small town, as evoked by the image of "Main Street," is not a relic of the past but rather a metaphorical screen upon which America's "everyday" stories and subjects are projected on both a national and global scale.

Bringing together a broad selection of texts-from Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Grace Metalious's Peyton Place, and Peter Weir's The Truman Show to the speeches of William McKinley, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama-Poll examines how the small town is used to imagine and reproduce the nation throughout the twentieth- and into the twenty-first century. He contends that the dominant small town, despite its innocent, nostalgic appearance, is central to the development of the U.S. empire and global capitalism.


Details

  • Title Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization
  • Author Ryan Poll
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 238
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Rutgers University Press
  • Date 2012-04-06
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index
  • ISBN 9780813552903 / 0813552907
  • Weight 0.79 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 9 x 6 x 0.55 in (22.86 x 15.24 x 1.40 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects American literature - History and criticism, Cities and towns in literature
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011035598
  • Dewey Decimal Code 810.935

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 11/01/2012, Page 0

About the author

RYAN POLL teaches in the English department at Northeastern Illinois University.

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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in The Age of Globalization
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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in The Age of Globalization

by Poll

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Rutgers Univ Pr, 2012. Softcover. Good Condition. Has used bookstore stickers. Text has Marking, Cover Has Shelf, Edge and Corner Wear, Looks nice. 223 pages. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Literature & Literary; ISBN: 0813552907. ISBN/EAN: 9780813552903. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561062014. . 9780813552903
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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in The Age of Globalization
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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in The Age of Globalization

by Poll

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Rutgers Univ Pr, 2012. Softcover. Very Good Condition. Has used bookstore stickers. Text appears clean, but may contain minor marks that we missed. Light Shelf Wear, Looks Very Nice. 223 pages. Multiple copies available this title. Quantity Available: 5. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Literature & Literary; ISBN: 0813552907. ISBN/EAN: 9780813552903. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561062013. . 9780813552903
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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization

Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization

by Ryan Poll

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New. The small town has become a national icon that circulates widely in literature, culture, and politics as an authentic American space and community. Yet there are surprisingly few critical studies that analyze the small town's centrality to the United States' identity and imagination. Main Street and Empire, Ryan Poll addresses this need, arguing that the small town, as evoked by the image of "Main Street," is not a relic of the past but rather a metaphorical screen upon which America's "everyday" stories and subjects are projected on both a national and global scale. Bringing together a broad selection of texts-from Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Grace Metalious's Peyton Place, and Peter Weir's The Truman Show to the speeches of William McKinley, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama-Poll examines how the small town is used to imagine and reproduce the nation throughout the twentieth- and into the twenty-first century. He contends… Read More
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Main Street and Empire – The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization
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Main Street and Empire – The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization

by Poll, Ryan

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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization (The American Literatures Initiative)

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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization (The American Literatures Initiative)

by Poll, Ryan

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Main Street and Empire: The Fictional Small Town in the Age of Globalization (The American Literatures Initiative)

by Poll Ph.D, Ryan

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