Founding friendships : friendships between men and women in the early American republic

Founding friendships : friendships between men and women in the early American republic

New York : Oxford University Press, 2015.

ix, 289 p. ; 25 cm.

302.34 G646 2015

(OCoLC)889522428

"Elite men and women over two hundred years ago formed loving, politically significant friendships. Abigail Adams called her friend Thomas Jefferson "one of the choice ones on earth," while George Washington signed a letter to his friend Elizabeth Powel with the words "I am always Yours." The emotionally rich language of this period is often mistaken for romance, but this book's innovative analysis of letters, diaries, poetry, and novels in the past reveals that friendships between men and women were quite common. At a time when personal relationships were deeply political, these friendships embodied the core values of the new nation. Founding Friendships offers a fresh and expansive look at how America's founding generation of men and women defined and experienced friendship, love, gender, and power in the new nation"--Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [251]-277) and index.
Contents: Introduction -- 1. Three stories of friendship -- 2. Reading friendship -- 3. Friends and lovers -- 4. Propriety, positioning, and the public face of friendship -- 5. Friendly letters -- 6. The gifts of friendship -- 7. The power of friendship.
L2015M15

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