Inventing Ethan Allen - Softcover

Duffy, John J.; Muller, H. Nicholas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1611685540 ISBN 13: 9781611685541

Publisher: University Press of New England, 2014

Synopsis

Since 1969, Ethan Allen has been the subject of three biographical studies, all of which indulge in sustaining and revitalizing the image of Allen as a physically imposing Vermont yeoman, a defender of the rights of Americans, an eloquent military hero, and a master of many guises, from rough frontiersman to gentleman philosopher. Seeking the authentic Ethan Allen, the authors of this volume ask: How did that Ethan Allen secure his place in popular culture? As they observe, this spectacular persona leaves little room for a more accurate assessment of Allen as a self-interested land speculator, rebellious mob leader, inexperienced militia officer, and truth-challenged man who would steer Vermont into the British Empire. Drawing extensively from the correspondence in Ethan Allen and his Kin and a wide range of historical, political, and cultural sources, Duffy and Muller analyze the factors that led to Ethan Allen’s two-hundred-year-old status as the most famous figure in Vermont’s past. Placing facts against myths, the authors reveal how Allen acquired and retained his iconic image, how the much-repeated legends composed after his death coincide with his life, why recollections of him are synonymous with the story of Vermont, and why some Vermonters still assign to Allen their own cherished and idealized values.

About this title

About the Author

JOHN J. DUFFY is emeritus professor of English and  Humanities, Vermont State Colleges. H. NICHOLAS MULLER III has served as president of Colby-Sawyer College and dean and professor of history at the University of Vermont. Both have published widely on Vermont topics, including a co-authored monograph, An Anxious Democracy:Aspects of the 1830s.

Review

“Inventing Ethan Allen describes in detail the shifting historical images of Vermont’s most famous revolutionary hero. The story Duffy and Muller tell is both complex and entertaining, involving Allen’s own self-promotion, several biographers, the founders of the Vermont Historical Society, state politicians, professional as well as amateur historians, sculptors, and entrepreneurs fond of exploiting Ethan’s fame. The book also gives straightforward summaries of what we know and don’t know about Allen’s life. A must-read for anyone interested in how Vermonters relate to their past.” (Jere Daniell, professor of history emeritus, Dartmouth College)

“Inventing Ethan Allen is a remarkable achievement: an incisive, scholarly, and often amusing account of both the ‘real’ and the ‘invented’ Ethan Allen. Muller and Duffy, relying on research of extraordinary depth and breadth, have written a probing and witty inquiry into the never-ending struggle between the unsettling facts of the past and the enduring power of myth.” (Dona Brown, professor of history, University of Vermont)

“Duffy and Muller help readers better understand Vermont’s most famous citizen and how contemporary society impacts historians, their writing and the need for critical historical inquiry." (Journal of the American Revolution)

“Inventing Ethan Allen is a watershed book of tremendous importance. Two of Vermont’s most respected scholars have joined forces to bring Ethan Allen down to size. I believe Vermonters have always suspected that the ‘real’ Ethan Allen put his pants on one leg at a time. But we needed to be told—and to be told in a way that can be believed. Vermont is indebted to Duffy and Muller. Still, the ‘real’ Ethan Allen stands in my mind as one hell of a man: Were I to confront him on the question of his courage, I would be sure to have a grin on my face.” (Frank Bryan, professor emeritus, University of Vermont)

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1611685540
• ISBN 13: 9781611685541
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304