Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: Family and Sectionalism in the Virginia Novels of Kennedy, Caruthers, and Tucker, 1830-1845

by Hare,John L.

• ISBN13: 9780415941570
• ISBN10: 0415941571
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-08-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This work examines eight Virginia novels against the background of the political and social concerns of the Jacksonian years in which they were written, arguing that the authors used familial processes as a metaphor to discuss issues that they regarded as critical. Each chapter focuses on a single novel - Swallow Barn, Kentuckian in New York, Cavaliers of Virginia, Horse-Shoe Robinson, George Balcombe, The Partisan Leader, and Knights of the Horseshoe - and examines its connections to the social and political tensions of the time of its publication - generational progress, sectional unity, executive authority, class relations, the nature of the ideal leader, relations among sections and states, socialist and perfectionist communities, and westward expansion.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(12)
Generational Progress in Swallow Barn	13	(18)
``An Ardent Desire'': Kentuckian in New-York	31	(20)
Authority and Affection: Cavaliers of Virginia	51	(18)
Whigs and Covert Missions: Horse-Shoe Robinson	69	(20)
Birthright and Authority: George Balcombe	89	(18)
The Family Restructured: The Partisan Leader	107	(20)
Mistaken Identity: Rob of the Bowl	127	(16)
To the West: Knights of the Horse-shoe	143	(20)
Conclusion	163	(10)
Notes	173	(6)
Works Cited	179	(6)
Index	185