The Greatest of All Time
Americans love to talk about 'greatness.' In this book, Zev Eleff explores the phenomenon of 'greatness' culture and what Americans really mean when they talk about greatness. Greatness discourse provides a uniquely American language for participants to discuss their 'ideal' aspirational values and make meaning of their personal lives. The many incarnations and insinuations of 'greatness' suggest more about those carrying on the conversation than they do about those being discussed. An argument for Abraham Lincoln or Franklin D. Roosevelt over George Washington as America's greatest statesman says as much about the speaker as it does about the legacies of former US presidents. Making a case for the Beatles, Michael Jordan, or Mickey Mouse involves the prioritization of politics and perspectives. The persistence of Henry Ford as a great American despite his toxic antisemitism offers another layer to this historical phenomenon. Using a variety of compelling examples, Eleff sheds new new light on “greatness” and its place in American culture.
- Places ideas of 'greatness' in historical context and explores the growth of 'celebrity' in the twentieth century
- Sheds light on lesser-known stories of America's 'greatest' figures
- Provides an accessible yet thorough evaluation on greatness and American culture
Reviews & endorsements
'This book offers a fascinating tour of Americans’ changing ideas about what constitutes greatness and, in particular, who warrants the designation ‘greatest of all time.’ Our culture continually promotes, idolizes, and eventually discounts and devalues accomplishments, as once-celebrated reputations confront shifts in what we value - and who and what we think should be honored. Arguments about who deserves to be considered the greatest will never be the same.' Joel Best, Emeritus Professor at the University of Delaware, and author of Everyone’s a Winner: Life in Our Congratulatory Culture
'This is high quality scholarship. Eleff has identified a uniquely American, heretofore understudied fixation and analyzed it with insight and rigor. We can take a great deal of intellectual pleasure in this superb book.' Seth Jacobs, author of Rogue Diplomats: The Proud Tradition of Disobedience in American Foreign Policy
Product details
May 2025Hardback
9781009572736
238 pages
235 × 157 × 23 mm
0.49kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The economics of American greatness
- 2. The problem of the great all-knowing answer man
- 3. The rise and fall of the great changemakers
- 4. How the Babe became the greatest (and the Roosevelts, too)
- 5. The great counterculture conundrum
- Conclusion: Michael Jordan in the 'age of lists'
- Index.
