영어로 읽는 고전 _ 메러디스 니콜슨의 민주주의의 흥망
"The Valley of Democracy"는 20세기 초에 쓰인 Meredith Nicholson의 역사적 기록물입니다.
이 작품은 미국 중서부의 사회적, 정치적, 문화적 지형을 탐구하며, 특히 이 지역 주민들의 태도와 열망에 초점을 맞춥니다. 책은 "Folks(사람들)"로 불리는 시민들과, 급변하는 세계에서 그들이 민주적 이상과 실천을 형성하는 데 미친 역할 사이의 연관성을 깊이 있게 다룹니다.
텍스트는 화자와 그의 친구 간의 대화로 시작되는데, 이 대화에서 친구는 동부의 엘리트층과 중서부의 평범한 사람들 사이의 거리감을 비판합니다. 이러한 논의는 텍스트의 중심 주제를 설정합니다: 서부를 향한 동부의 거만한 태도와 평범한 사람들의 정체성입니다.
화자의 친구는 "Folks"라는 용어를 열정적으로 언급하면서, 그들이 단순한 통계 수치를 넘어선 인간성과 중요성을 지니고 있음을 강조하고, 중서부 지역 주민들을 정의하는 독특한 사회적 특성을 부각시킵니다.
저자는 풍부한 묘사와 일화를 통해 이 지역만의 독특한 민주주의, 공동체, 사회적 상호작용에 대한 감각을 형성하는 경험들을 조명하고자 합니다.
Classics Read in English _ The Valley of Democracy by Meredith Nicholson
"The Valley of Democracy" by Meredith Nicholson is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The work explores the social, political, and cultural landscapes of the American Midwest, particularly focusing on the attitudes and aspirations of the region's inhabitants. The book seems poised to delve into the connection between the citizens, referred to as "Folks," and their role in shaping democratic ideals and practices in a rapidly changing world. The opening of the text introduces the reader to a conversation between the narrator and a friend, who critiques the distance between the Eastern elites and the ordinary people of the Midwest. This discussion sets up a central theme of the text: the perceived condescension of the East towards the West and the identity of the common people. The narrator's friend passionately invokes the term "Folks," emphasizing their humanity and significance beyond mere statistics, and highlights the distinct social characteristics that define the individuals who inhabit the Middle West. Through rich descriptions and anecdotes, the author seeks to illuminate the experiences that contribute to the region's unique sense of democracy, community, and social interaction.
Among the contents
“THE great trouble with these fellows down here,” remarked my friend as we left the office of a New York banker?“the trouble with all of ’em is that they forget about the Folks. You noticed that when he asked in his large, patronizing way how things are going out West he didn’t wait for us to answer; he pressed a button and told his secretary to bring in those tables of railroad earnings and to-day’s crop bulletins and that sort of rubbish, so he could tell us. It never occurs to ’em that the Folks are human beings and not just a column of statistics. Why, the Folks??”
My friend, an orator of distinction, formerly represented a tall-corn district in Congress. He drew me into Trinity churchyard and discoursed in a vein with which I had long been familiar upon a certain condescension in Easterners, and the East’s intolerable ignorance of the ways and manners, the hopes and aims, of the West, which move him to rage and despair.
