The Genteel Tradition: Nine Essays by George Santayana

By George Santayana

Book Overview

George Santayana probably did more than anyone except Alexis de Tocqueville to shape the critical view of American culture. The great philosopher and writer coined the phrase "genteel tradition," introducing it to a California audience in 1911. The phrase caught fire, giving a name to the culture of the republic.

Santayana's address appears in this collection of influential essays about the country he lived in from 1872 to 1912. Because he remained European in spirit, the Spaniard brought a sharp detachment to his observations. He points out the American split between thought and action, theory and practice, the traditional and the modern, the arts and business, the high-brow and the popular. He also examines the excessive moralism in national life, which baffles Europeans. These nine essays touch on American idealism and materialism and American endeavor, sacred and profane.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803292511
• ISBN13: 9780803292512
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 201 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

european perspective - still carries some weight- but definetely biased

Do the europeans not strive -in their own way- for the "genteel"? Of course, but Santayana writes beautifully, critically and with timeless validity.