Fleshing Out America: Race, Gender, and the Politics of the Body in American Literature, 1833-1879

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing this book has been a wonderful, and in many respects a collective, experience. I would like to thank those who have made it so. Tobegin, I would like to thank the staff members of Library Company of Philadelphia, particularly Phillip Lapsansky,for their help in providing me with material on the science of race and gender in the antebellum era. Users of the library are well aware of how valuable are not only its resources but also its staff, who points you to the relevant aspects ofthe collection. I would also like to thank the editors at the University of Georgia Press, especially Margaret Nunnelley and Marlene Allen, for their support of this project. Miles Orvell and Rachel Blau DuPlessis deserve particular note. Miles Orvell contributed not only his advice and encouragement at many phasesof this project, but also his valuable insight into the study's structure and theoretical viewpoint. Rachel Blau DuPlessis contributed a combination oftheoretical questioning and astute attention to writing style to this project in its early form. Nancy Bentley was kind enough to read the manuscript in its initial form, and her insights helped me reconceptualize my work in respect to the representation of torture and spectatorship in the writings ofLydia Maria Child and Frances E. W. Harper. Carla L. Peterson and Karen L. Kilcup both made vital suggestions for revision that contributed positively to the work's final form. Martha J. Cutter and Debra J. Rosenthal helped me develop further several sections of the book, including the introduction, my work on Child and Harper, and my chapter on Fuller. Lisa Brawley helped me reconceptualize my argument regarding Margaret Fuller and progressive feminism. I would also like to thank my family. My husband, Gregory Fornia, continuously astonishes me with his unwavering support, from seemingly mundane to exceedingly generous gestures. He is simply the reason why I am able to X A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S accomplish what I do. My parents, Robert and Barbara Sorisio, to whom the book is dedicated, encouraged a lifelong love of reading and supported my education during its many stages. My earliest teachers were my sisters, Cheri O'Neill and Cathy Lang, with whom I would "play school"; they have taught me much and continue to provide their encouragement. In addition I want to acknowledge two very special people who passed away during the time I was writing this book, my grandfather Mario Sorisio and my father-in-law, John Fornia. They are missed. As someone who spends a large portion ofher career teaching, I also want to acknowledge those who did not contribute to this study per sebut were instrumental in my development as a scholar and writer, those who take seriously their charge to nurture a love of literature in their students. When I was an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University, John W. Moore Jr., Carla J. Mulford, and John Secor always encouraged me, even when I was preoccupied with other activities. Additionally, Sanford Schwartz and Deborah Clarke were some of the first to spark my interest in literary theory. As a graduate student at Temple University, I was privileged to work with many faculty members who took that most precious of all commodities in higher education today— time—and spent it generously upon their students, particularly Sharon Harris and Sally Mitchell, who taught me a great deal about historical research and writing. Finally, I want to thank Carolyn L.Karcher,a remarkablementor and friend. From my days as a doctoral student to the present, she has generously critiqued my work with care and patience. Shehas read and reread, discussed and further discussed, conceptualized and reconceptualized this project with me so many times and in somany forms that it is truly impossible for me to imagine its taking shape without her energy, enthusiasm, and expertise. Sheis an exceptional scholar and teacher, and those like myself who have had the privilege to work with her have benefited incalculably from the experience. FLESHING OUT AMERICA This page intentionally left blank ...