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Robert Penn Warrenâs All the Kingâs Men
Series: - Dialogue, Volume: 15
- Dialogue Online, Volume: 15
The twelve essayists in this critical collection examine anew two fundamental concerns of Penn Warrenâs landmark work, which has as valid a claim to being âThe Great American Novelâ as any in the literary canon. The first challenging conundrum these critics examine is narrator Jack Burdenâs adequacy as a historiographer and the impact of his reliability upon his alter-ego-persona-narrative: does Jack succeed in becoming an able historian of his family and of Willie Starkâs political career, or does he become self-delusive and resort to a âselectively culledâ history to justify himself to his audience as a trustworthy chronicler of the Willie Stark era of Jackâs life. The second major thematic motif these essays explore is Penn Warrenâs implicit positing of a spiritual dimension to Jack Burdenâs quest for a viable identity to sustain him in his ultimate decision to join humanity and finally live in the history heâs so long lived outside of, as a cynically un-involved observer.
The provocative efforts of these twelve scholars, fifty-six years after the publication of All the Kingâs Men, testifies to the novelâs great philosophical and psychological depths, riches that continue to induce new readers and returning readers to shadow Jack Burden in his quest of the examined life: the quest to fully engage ourselves in becoming ever more human despite our being flawed, ever-plagued by our social shortcomings, as are âall the kingâs men.â
The provocative efforts of these twelve scholars, fifty-six years after the publication of All the Kingâs Men, testifies to the novelâs great philosophical and psychological depths, riches that continue to induce new readers and returning readers to shadow Jack Burden in his quest of the examined life: the quest to fully engage ourselves in becoming ever more human despite our being flawed, ever-plagued by our social shortcomings, as are âall the kingâs men.â
Michael J. Meyer: Preface
Hugh Ingrasci: Introduction
Noel Polk: The Text of the âRestoredâ Edition of All The Kingâs Men
Larry A. Gray: The Great Disconnect: Jack Burden and History in All The Kingâs Men
James Perkins: Jack Burden: Successful Historian in All The Kingâs Men
Ben Railton: âThe Awful Responsibility of Timeâ: Understanding History in All The Kingâs Men
Andrew M. Hakim: âThe Theory of Historical Costsâ: Jack Burden, History, and the (Mis)Representation of the Past in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Alex Wulff: Twitches and Trigger-fingers: Accidental Homicides and Suicides in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Robert McParland: The Inversion of Home in All The Kingâs Men
Bert Emerson: âLittle Jackie Made It Stick, All Rightâ: The Implicating Narrative of Jack Burden
Mark T. Mitchell: Theological Reflections on Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Michael J. Meyer: The Many Faces of God: Layered Imagery of the Deity in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Robert Koppelman: âAll The Kingâs Menâ, Spiritual Aesthetics, and the Reader
Cecilia Donohue: Midcentury Jack vs. Millennium Jack: The Ongoing Burden of Identity on Film
Abstract of Arguments
Author Biographies
Index
Hugh Ingrasci: Introduction
Noel Polk: The Text of the âRestoredâ Edition of All The Kingâs Men
Larry A. Gray: The Great Disconnect: Jack Burden and History in All The Kingâs Men
James Perkins: Jack Burden: Successful Historian in All The Kingâs Men
Ben Railton: âThe Awful Responsibility of Timeâ: Understanding History in All The Kingâs Men
Andrew M. Hakim: âThe Theory of Historical Costsâ: Jack Burden, History, and the (Mis)Representation of the Past in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Alex Wulff: Twitches and Trigger-fingers: Accidental Homicides and Suicides in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Robert McParland: The Inversion of Home in All The Kingâs Men
Bert Emerson: âLittle Jackie Made It Stick, All Rightâ: The Implicating Narrative of Jack Burden
Mark T. Mitchell: Theological Reflections on Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Michael J. Meyer: The Many Faces of God: Layered Imagery of the Deity in Robert Penn Warrenâs All The Kingâs Men
Robert Koppelman: âAll The Kingâs Menâ, Spiritual Aesthetics, and the Reader
Cecilia Donohue: Midcentury Jack vs. Millennium Jack: The Ongoing Burden of Identity on Film
Abstract of Arguments
Author Biographies
Index