J. Verheul

The book explores the fundamental and multifaceted dialectic between utopian dreams and dystopian nightmares within American culture. The utopian mindset in constructing and imagining different futures for society is reflected in a wide range of differential cultural texts and narratives such as novels, short stories, political discourses and treatises, journalism and scholarly and intellectual debates. Often these combine social criticism and satire, political rhetoric, religious belief systems, and biblical metaphors. Approaching the topic from various angles and throughout different historical periods, the essays in this volume collectively show how fascinating and rewarding the exploration of this utopian discourse of for an understanding of American culture.

Utopia and Dystopia in American Culture

Dreams of Paradise, Visions of Apocalypse

Hans Bak

Hans Krabbendam

Johannes Leendert Krabbendam

The essays in this volume discuss past, recent and future developments within American Studies as manifested in the United States and in various Western and Eastern European countries. Central is the question how different cultural backgrounds and traditions informed varying approaches to the discipline. Is American Studies a form of cultural self-reflection? This volume pursues this theme from a variety of angles.

J. Verheul

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