Reagan's Mythical America: Storytelling as Political Leadership

ISBN-13: 9781137272997 / Angielski / Twarda / 2012 / 256 str.

Jan Hanska

Opis

This book uses the tools of narratology to analyze Ronald Reagan's presidential leadership from the perspective of storytelling and it explains how stories were used to revitalize the belief of the people in America. It examines how Reagan spun a web of stories combining religious, mythical and other beliefs to narratively create an 'America' with myth-like qualities as an object of belief. This Mythical America created a unified sense of purpose among the people and a goal for Reagan's policy where it was always 'morning in America'. The book will provide new means beyond rhetoric of understanding the popularity and success of Reagan.

Spis treści

An Introduction and Methodological Remarks The Narrative Approach to Reagan's Policymaking Structuring a Political Narrative Reagan and Other Characters in the Stories Beyond Authorship - Reagan as Narrator Audience as Storyworld Participants Re-Creating the Mythical America as a Storyverse Possible Worlds as Products of Narratives Political Manipulation of the Storyworld Combining Storyworlds into a Storyverse American Religion Sacred Profanity – Religion and Politics in the U.S. Reagan's Personal Faith and Beliefs 'American Civil Religion' Reagan's Vision of American Way of Life American Dream as Object Of Belief Blending the Mythical and Religious into Politcal Religion and Narrative Religion as Material for Myth Americanonized Myths of U.S. Politics Exodus into the New Eden The Shining City on a Hill Unified Past, Present and Future in Mythical America Coda

O autorze

JAN HANSKA is a Post Doctoral Researcher at the University of Tampere, Finland and works as an officer in the Finnish Defence Forces (Army).