ADVERSARIES of DANCE
From the PURITANS to the PRESENT
Will be published approx. on 1. February 1997
Book
Paperback/Softback
464 pages
978-0-252-06590-3 (ISBN)
Description
Whether in the private parlor, public hall, commercial "dance palace," or sleazy dive, dance has long been opposed by those who viewed it as immoral--more precisely as being a danger to the purity of those who practiced it, particularly women. In Adversaries of Dance, Ann Wagner presents a major study of opposition to dance over a period of four centuries in what is now the United States.
Wagner bases her work on the thesis that the tradition of opposition to dance "derived from white, male, Protestant clergy and evangelists who argued from a narrow and selective interpretation of biblical passages," and that the opposition thrived when denominational dogma held greater power over people's lives and when women's social roles were strictly limited.
Central to Wagner's work, which will be welcomed by scholars of both religion and dance, are issues of gender, race, and socioeconomic status.
Wagner bases her work on the thesis that the tradition of opposition to dance "derived from white, male, Protestant clergy and evangelists who argued from a narrow and selective interpretation of biblical passages," and that the opposition thrived when denominational dogma held greater power over people's lives and when women's social roles were strictly limited.
Central to Wagner's work, which will be welcomed by scholars of both religion and dance, are issues of gender, race, and socioeconomic status.
Reviews / Votes
"There are no other works that even begin to approach this definitive accomplishment." -- Amanda Porterfield, author of Female Piety in Puritan New EnglandMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
626 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-06590-3 (9780252065903)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Preface vii
Introduction xi
Part 1: European Antecedents 1. The Pre-Reformation Tradition 3
2. The Voices of Protestant Reformers 19
Part 2: American Attitudes 3. The Puritans in New England: The Seventeenth Century 47
4. The Gentry and the Awakening: The Eighteenth Century 70
5. Early Evangelicals and American Etiquette: 1800-1839 106
6. The Evangelical Mainstream and Radical Reformers: 1840-60 141
7. Conservatives, Liberals, and the City: 1865-89 193
8. Embattled Fundamentalists and the Rhetoric of Moral Panic: 1890-1939 236
9. Urban Reformers and the Dance Hall: 1908-40 292
10. The Polemic Upstaged: 1930-69 and Beyond 320
Part 3: Critical Variables and Cultural Context 11. The Nature of Dance and the Polemic in Reprise 363
12. Aesthetics, Morality, and Gender 383 Appendix A. Bible Verses on Dance 401
B. Known European Adversaries of Dance 407
C. Lesser-Known Adversaries Mentioned in the Text 413 Index 423
Introduction xi
Part 1: European Antecedents 1. The Pre-Reformation Tradition 3
2. The Voices of Protestant Reformers 19
Part 2: American Attitudes 3. The Puritans in New England: The Seventeenth Century 47
4. The Gentry and the Awakening: The Eighteenth Century 70
5. Early Evangelicals and American Etiquette: 1800-1839 106
6. The Evangelical Mainstream and Radical Reformers: 1840-60 141
7. Conservatives, Liberals, and the City: 1865-89 193
8. Embattled Fundamentalists and the Rhetoric of Moral Panic: 1890-1939 236
9. Urban Reformers and the Dance Hall: 1908-40 292
10. The Polemic Upstaged: 1930-69 and Beyond 320
Part 3: Critical Variables and Cultural Context 11. The Nature of Dance and the Polemic in Reprise 363
12. Aesthetics, Morality, and Gender 383 Appendix A. Bible Verses on Dance 401
B. Known European Adversaries of Dance 407
C. Lesser-Known Adversaries Mentioned in the Text 413 Index 423