The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925
At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement.

Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.
1128089750
The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925
At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement.

Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.
32.99 In Stock
The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925

The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925

by Tara Kathleen Kelly
The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925

The Hunter Elite: Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925

by Tara Kathleen Kelly

Paperback

$32.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement.

Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780700625888
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publication date: 03/15/2018
Pages: 360
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tara Kathleen Kelly is an independent scholar with a PhD in American history from Johns Hopkins University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One. Tales of the Sportsman-Hunter

1. “What Luxury It Is”: Elite Hunting Enters the Gilded Age

2. Fall of the Workplace, Rise of the Hunt

3. Making Meaning Out of the Moose: Constructing the Hunting Narrative

4. The Business of Narrative

5. Whitney Rising

Part Two. Fellow Travelers

6. Diana’s Own: Women and the Big-Game Hunt

7. Sportsmen of the Breed: British and American Hunters

Part Three. Discourse and Consequences

8. Stories of Guides and Gunbearers

9. Dreaming of Howley: Conservation and the Uses of Discourse

10. The End of the Hunt: Conservation and the Limits of Discourse

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Notes

Works Cited

Index

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews