Donald Trump and the American Literary Tradition Cover Image

Donald Trump and the American Literary Tradition
Donald Trump and the American Literary Tradition

Author(s): Merritt Moseley
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: Trump; American literature; egalitarianism; xenophobia; braggadocio; self-assurance; Transcendentalism

Summary/Abstract: Though in many ways the most unusual US president ever elected, both in experience and in character, Donald Trump is not entirely sui generis. This article strives to show that in some respects he is in the American tradition, as evidenced by his continuity with some classic American literary works. Characteristics which Trump shares with the American literary tradition include religiosity; egalitarianism, and its corollaries including anti-expertise, braggadocio, self-assurance and self-reliance; insularity and xenophobia; and American exceptionalism.

  • Issue Year: 3/2018
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 57-70
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: English