The American Jeremiad

Sacvan Bercovitch

• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780299288631
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

When Sacvan Bercovitch's The American Jeremiad first appeared in 1978, it was hailed as a landmark study of dissent and cultural formation in America, from the Puritans' writings through the major literary works of the antebellum era. For this long-awaited anniversary edition, Bercovitch has written a deeply thoughtful and challenging new preface that reflects on his classic study of the role of the political sermon, or jeremiad, in America from a contemporary perspective, while assessing developments in the field of American studies and the culture at large.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface to the 2012 Edition
• Preface to the 1978 Edition
• 1. Introduction: The Puritan Errand Reassessed
• 2. The Blessings of Time and Eternity
• 3. The Genetics of Salvation
• 4. The Typology of America’s Mission
• 5. Ritual of Consensus
• 6. Epilogue: The Symbol of America
• Notes
• Index