Do Jane Austen novels truly celebrate—or undermine—romance and happy endings?
How did Jane Austen become a cultural icon for fairy-tale endings when her own books end in ways that are rushed, ironic, and reluctant to satisfy readers thirst for romance? In Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, Austen ......
There is indisputable evidence that the Continental Congress voted to separate from England on July 2, 1776. But the more cogent point is that many modern-day Americans seem unaware of the raucous political discourse in the weeks and months leading up to that decision. Independence was not pre-ordained, and almost didn't happen as early as it did. ......
How did the evil nature of slavery become enshrined in law in Great Britain? What drove the change in public perception? What were the key victories on the journey to abolition and who were the key players? What is to prevent a similar evil gaining acceptance again today? Just as Britain's industrial development in the eighteenth and early ......
Liberty: Don Troiani's Paintings of the Revolutionary War, catalog for the exhibit of Troiani's work at the Museum of the American Revolution, highlights pivotal events of America's fight for independence. For the first time in a museum, this special exhibition brings together Troiani's original Revolutionary War paintings and pairs them with ......
In The Gods of Revolution, Christopher Dawson brought to bear, as Glanmor Williams said, "his brilliantly perceptive powers of analysis on the French Revolution. . . . In so doing he reversed the trends of recent historiography which has concentrated primarily on examining the social and economic context of that great upheaval." Dawson underlines ......
Ottoman Sociability and War-Making in the Long Eighteenth Century
It is easy to believe that manners are empty gestures, little more than social artifice or practiced etiquette whose sole purpose is to project civility and facilitate social interaction. But if we look more closely, they can tell us much more than we might first suppose, revealing what conventional accounts of state, economy, and religion often ......
How an American Captive Rose to Power in Barbary and Saved His Homeland from War
This page-turning narrative follows the twists and turns of the life of hostage-turned-diplomat James Leander Cathcart upon the international stage of diplomacy, trade, and maritime statecraft at a time when America's place in the world was hanging in the balance.
Seven Artists in search of an Industrial Revolution in Britain
In seven linked essays, the author discusses paintings of industrial scenes by seven artists working in the period 1780-1830. Their unique and distinct responses to the subject matter reveal a surprisingly coherent message.
As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington developed the strategy that won the Revolutionary War, but while Washington directed some battles, his strategy for the most part was carried out-and most battles were won or lost-by his subordinates, major and brigadier generals of varying background, experience, and ability.
