In this Book
- Knickerbocker: The Myth behind New York
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: Rutgers University Press
Includes a gallery of images that brings Diedrich Knickerbocker, his myth, time, and place to life Knickerbocker engagingly traces the creation, evolution, and prevalence of Irving's imaginary historian in New York literature and history, art and advertising, from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Who would imagine this satiric character, at once a snob and a champion of the people, would endure for two hundred years? In Elizabeth L. Bradley's words, "Whether you call it 'blood,' style, attitude, or moxie, the little Dutchman could deliver." And, from this engaging work, it is clear that he does.
Bradley's stunning volume offers a surprising and delightful glimpse behind the scenes of New York history, and invites readers into the world of Knickerbocker, the antihero who surprised everyone by becoming the standard-bearer for the city's exceptional sense of self, or what we now call a New York "attitude."
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-xi
- Abbreviations
- p. xiii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-9
- 1. The Picture of Knickerbocker
- pp. 11-40
- 2. Inheriting Knickerbocker
- pp. 41-73
- 3. Fashioning a Knickerbocracy
- pp. 75-111
- 4. Knickerbocker in a New Century
- pp. 113-146
- Conclusion
- pp. 147-151
- About the Author
- p. 192