Thomas Dixon, Jr.'s 1905 novel, The Clansman, was an instant bestseller and its subsequent theater version toured the nation for five years. The novel and play later became the basis for the full-length motion picture and box-office smash, The Birth of a Nation (1915). Dixon's story, despite its gross historical inaccuracies, served as a popular history of Reconstruction, echoing contemporary academic prejudices and reinforcing the codes of white masculinity and racial supremacy that had come under question at the turn of the twentieth century. This process of re-visioning history to validate popular prejudices is key to understanding the creation and success of Dixon's most famous—and notorious—contribution to American culture. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of English in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2003. / Date of Defense: March 5, 2003. / Revisionism, Reconstruction, Birth / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce Bickley, Professor Directing Thesis; Dennis Moore, Committee Member; Mark Winegardner, Committee Member; Elna Green, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_168441 |
| Contributors | Rouse, Kristen L. (authoraut), Bickley, Bruce (professor directing thesis), Moore, Dennis (committee member), Winegardner, Mark (committee member), Green, Elna (committee member), Department of English (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
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