| Author |
Stewart, Donald Ogden, 1894-1980 |
| Illustrator |
Roth, Herb, 1887-1953 |
| Title |
A Parody Outline of History
Wherein May Be Found a Curiously Irreverent Treatment of American Historical Events, Imagining Them as They Would Be Narrated by America's Most Characteristic Contemporary Authors
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 77.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Contents |
Introduction: A critical survey of American history, in the manner of William Lyon Phelps -- Cristofer Colombo: A comedy of discovery, in the manner of James Branch Cabell -- Main Street: Plymouth, Mass., in the manner of Sinclair Lewis -- Courtship of Miles Standish, in the manner of F. Scott Fitzgerald -- Spirit of '75: Letters of a Minute Man, in the manner of Ring Lardner -- The Whiskey Rebellion, in the bedtime story manner of Thornton W. Burgess -- How love came to General Grant, in the manner of Harold Bell Wright -- Custer's last stand, in the manner of Edith Wharton -- For the freedom of the world: A drama of the Great War. Act I in the manner of Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews; Act 2 in the manner of Eugene O'Neill.
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| Credits |
Produced by Charles Keller, and David Widger
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| Summary |
"A Parody Outline of History" by Donald Ogden Stewart is a satirical collection that humorously explores American historical events through the lens of famous contemporary authors. Written in the early 20th century, it presents a playful and irreverent take on significant events in American history, using the stylistic quirks of various notable writers to recount these tales in a lighthearted manner. The opening of this work introduces the idea that American history can best be told by Americans, playfully critiquing H.G. Wells' omission of certain events in his own historical outline. Stewart embarks on this endeavor with a set of short chapters that will parody the styles of writers ranging from William Lyon Phelps to Sinclair Lewis, and more. The first chapter functions as a commentary on American history itself, reminiscing about a performance of "Peter Pan" and weaving in humorous anecdotals about figures like Woodrow Wilson. This preamble sets the stage for the unique format of the book, as it seems ready to blend historical fiction with comedic parodies that challenge the traditional narratives of American history. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections
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| Subject |
Parodies
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| Subject |
United States -- History -- Humor
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
1478 |
| Release Date |
Oct 1, 1998 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Mar 4, 2013 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
480 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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