Constance Mayfield Rourke (November 14, 1885 – March 29, 1941) was an American author and educator. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Sorbonne and Vassar College. She taught at Vassar from 1910 to 1915. She died in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1941.
Rourke's work, especially American Humor, made a significant impact on the early twentieth century study of American popular culture and folk culture. From her death onwards, selections from Rourke's works were regularly anthologized.
A biography by Joan Shelley Rubin was published in 1980.
Nevertheless, Rourke's works and their apparent influence have faded significantly. Many of her books are out of print and recent anthologies, for instance of American Studies, do not mention her. However, Rourke continues to have some notable fans who make significant claims for her work and importance. Perhaps the most important work in this vein is Michael Denning's book, The Cultural Front.
The American rock critic Greil Marcus wrote an introduction to a 2004 edition of American Humor.
Most recently, on Rourke's birthday in 2011, Lucy Sante had these words to say: "CONSTANCE ROURKE (1885–1941) died — from a slip on an icy porch — way too young. If she had finished her projected five-volume Roots of American Culture, it might have synthesized all her research into a grand Key to the American Scriptures. As it is she wrote solid if unexciting books on Davy Crockett, John James Audubon, Charles Sheeler, the Beecher family, and Lotta Crabtree, "Fairy Star of the Gold Rush". But she also wrote American Humor (1931), fruit of prolonged and concentrated squinting into the mists, attempting to make out the first stirrings of an American culture that was free from second-guessing based on overseas models. Peering into the taverns and opera houses and faro parlors of the Jacksonian era she came to the conclusion that the primal scene occurred in humor. "Laughter produced the illusion of leveling obstacles in a world which was full of unaccustomed obstacles." She discerned three essential figures: the Yankee peddler, the backwoodsman, and the Negro minstrel. "Each in a fashion of his own had broken bonds ... As figures they embodied a deep-lying mood of disseverance, carrying the popular fancy further and further from any fixed or traditional heritage." She followed the three out to the frontier, riding on a wave of jokes and coinages and hoaxes and cuttings-up. The first half of the book is a breathless bravura performance; the book as a whole sits right between William Carlos Williams's in the American Grain and Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon."[1]
BooksEdit
Trumpets of Jubilee. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1927.
Troupers on the Gold Coast, or The Rise of Lotta Crabtree. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1928.
American Humor: a Study of the National Character. 1931. Reprint. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1959. Reprint. New York: New York Review Books Classics, 2004. (Latter with Introduction by Greil Marcus.)
Davy Crockett. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1934.
Audubon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1936. It retroactively received the Newbery Honor award for the year 1937.[2]
Charles Sheeler: Artist in the American Tradition. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1938.
The Roots of American Culture, edited by Van Wyck Brooks. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1942.
^"Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". ala.org. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
Further readingEdit
Michael Denning. The Cultural Front: The Laboring of American Culture in the Twentieth Century. New York: Verso, 1998. (Second Edition. New York: Verso Books, 2011.)
Joan Shelley Rubin. Constance Rourke and American Culture. Chapel Hill: North Carolina Press, 1980.
Andrew Kelly. "Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture". Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. 2015. ISBN978-0-8131-5567-8
External linksEdit
Michigan Women's Historical Center & Hall of Fame Entry
constance, rourke, this, article, written, like, personal, reflection, personal, essay, argumentative, essay, that, states, wikipedia, editor, personal, feelings, presents, original, argument, about, topic, please, help, improve, rewriting, encyclopedic, style. This article is written like a personal reflection personal essay or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style January 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations January 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Constance Mayfield Rourke November 14 1885 March 29 1941 was an American author and educator She was born in Cleveland Ohio and attended Sorbonne and Vassar College She taught at Vassar from 1910 to 1915 She died in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1941 Constance RourkeConstance Rourke Fall 1938BornConstance Mayfield RourkeOccupationWriter historian folkloristNotable worksAmerican HumorNotable awardsNewbery HonorRourke specialized in American popular culture She wrote numerous pieces of criticism for magazines like The Nation and The New Republic However she made her name as a writer of biographies and biographical sketches of notable American figures such as John James Audubon P T Barnum Lotta Crabtree Davy Crockett and Charles Sheeler as well as books exploring different components of American culture and its history of which American Humor A Study of the National Character first published in 1931 is the most famous During the 1930s she worked on the Index of American Design as part of the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration Her work was essential in the formation of the scholarly fields of American Studies and American Literature Two of her books received the Newbery Honor award Contents 1 Legacy 2 Books 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksLegacy EditRourke s work especially American Humor made a significant impact on the early twentieth century study of American popular culture and folk culture From her death onwards selections from Rourke s works were regularly anthologized A biography by Joan Shelley Rubin was published in 1980 Nevertheless Rourke s works and their apparent influence have faded significantly Many of her books are out of print and recent anthologies for instance of American Studies do not mention her However Rourke continues to have some notable fans who make significant claims for her work and importance Perhaps the most important work in this vein is Michael Denning s book The Cultural Front The American rock critic Greil Marcus wrote an introduction to a 2004 edition of American Humor Most recently on Rourke s birthday in 2011 Lucy Sante had these words to say CONSTANCE ROURKE 1885 1941 died from a slip on an icy porch way too young If she had finished her projected five volume Roots of American Culture it might have synthesized all her research into a grand Key to the American Scriptures As it is she wrote solid if unexciting books on Davy Crockett John James Audubon Charles Sheeler the Beecher family and Lotta Crabtree Fairy Star of the Gold Rush But she also wrote American Humor 1931 fruit of prolonged and concentrated squinting into the mists attempting to make out the first stirrings of an American culture that was free from second guessing based on overseas models Peering into the taverns and opera houses and faro parlors of the Jacksonian era she came to the conclusion that the primal scene occurred in humor Laughter produced the illusion of leveling obstacles in a world which was full of unaccustomed obstacles She discerned three essential figures the Yankee peddler the backwoodsman and the Negro minstrel Each in a fashion of his own had broken bonds As figures they embodied a deep lying mood of disseverance carrying the popular fancy further and further from any fixed or traditional heritage She followed the three out to the frontier riding on a wave of jokes and coinages and hoaxes and cuttings up The first half of the book is a breathless bravura performance the book as a whole sits right between William Carlos Williams s in the American Grain and Thomas Pynchon s Mason amp Dixon 1 Books EditTrumpets of Jubilee New York Harcourt Brace amp Company 1927 Troupers on the Gold Coast or The Rise of Lotta Crabtree New York Harcourt Brace amp Company 1928 American Humor a Study of the National Character 1931 Reprint New York Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1959 Reprint New York New York Review Books Classics 2004 Latter with Introduction by Greil Marcus Davy Crockett New York Harcourt Brace amp Company 1934 Audubon New York Harcourt Brace amp Company 1936 It retroactively received the Newbery Honor award for the year 1937 2 Charles Sheeler Artist in the American Tradition New York Harcourt Brace amp Company 1938 The Roots of American Culture edited by Van Wyck Brooks New York Harcourt Brace amp World 1942 References Edit Link text additional text Newbery Medal and Honor Books 1922 Present ala org Retrieved June 1 2015 Further reading EditMichael Denning The Cultural Front The Laboring of American Culture in the Twentieth Century New York Verso 1998 Second Edition New York Verso Books 2011 Joan Shelley Rubin Constance Rourke and American Culture Chapel Hill North Carolina Press 1980 Andrew Kelly Kentucky by Design The Decorative Arts and American Culture Lexington University Press of Kentucky 2015 ISBN 978 0 8131 5567 8External links EditIndex of American Design Michigan Women s Historical Center amp Hall of Fame Entry Constance Rourke at Library of Congress with 20 library catalog records Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Constance Rourke amp oldid 1124844801, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
