Negative Liberties

Since the 19th century, ideas centered on the individual, on Emersonian self-reliance, on the right of the individual to the pursuit of happiness have had a tremendous presence in the United States - and even more so since the Reagan era. Has this presence been for the good of all? In "Negative Liberties" Cyrus R.K. Patell revises important ideas in the debate over individualism and the political theory of liberalism. He does so by bringing two new voices into the current discussion - Toni Morrison and Thomas Pynchon - to examine the different ways in which their writings embody, engage, and critique the official narratives generated by US liberal ideology. Patell shows that Pynchon and Morrison reveal the official narrative of US individualism as encompassing a complex structure of contradiction held in abeyance. The official narratives imagine that the goals of the individual are not at odds with the goals of the family or society and actually obscure the existence of an unholy truce between individual liberty and forms of oppression.By bringing these two fiction writers into a discourse that has been dominated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Isaiah Berlin, John Rawls, George Kateb, Robert Bellah, and Michael Sandel, Patell unmasks the ways in which US culture has not fully shed oppressive patterns of reasoning that were dominant in the slaveholding culture from which US individualism emerged. With its interdisciplinary approach, "Negative Liberties" should appeal to students and scholars of American literature, culture, sociology, and politics.

““ Negative Liberties is a sophisticated study of the appeal of the ideology of individualism in the United States. It is a vast and widely considered topic, but Patell has something new to say about it. His unique contribution comes out of his understanding of the human reliance on storytelling and the creation of narratives. Ethical and deeply engaging, this book adds an important new dimension to ideological criticism in the United States.”-Priscilla Wald, author of Constituting Americans: Cultural Anxiety and Narrative Form”

"Negative Liberties combines historical, literary, cultural, and political interests as it includes a historical study and critique of 'individualism,' excellent literary chapters devoted to fresh readings of Thomas Pynchon and Toni Morrison, a political examination of the relationship of liberty and slavery, and a cultural analysis of baseball. Inspired by Sacvan Bercovitch, Cyrus Patell's book is a thoughtful contribution to American Studies."- Werner Sollors, Harvard University [NOTE! Author says this refers to stuff now NOT IN THE BOOK. He suggests a specific editing. See email dated 11/9!] "Negative Liberties is a sophisticated study of the appeal of the ideology of individualism in the United States. It is a vast and widely considered topic, but Patell has something new to say about it. His unique contribution comes out of his understanding of the human reliance on storytelling and the creation of narratives. Ethical and deeply engaging, this book adds an important new dimension to ideological criticism in the United States."- Priscilla Wald, author of Constituting Americans: Cultural Anxiety and Narrative Form

Cyrus R. K. Patell is Associate Professor of English at New York University. He is the author of Joyce’s Use of History in “Finnegans Wake” and a contributor to the Cambridge History of American Literature, Volume 7: Prose Writing, 1940–1990.

"Negative Libertiescombines historical, literary, cultural, and political interests as it includes a historical study and critique of 'individualism,' excellent literary chapters devoted to fresh readings of Thomas Pynchon and Toni Morrison, and a political examination of the relationship of liberty and slavery. Inspired by Sacvan Bercovitch, Cyrus Patell's book is a thoughtful contribution to American Studies."-Werner Sollors, Harvard University

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