"The Tyranny of Sleep: Somnambulism, Moral Citizenship, and Charles Brockden Brown's Edgar Huntly" (original) (raw)
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This paper explores the connections between somnambulism, psychology, and political identity in Charles Brockden Brown's novel, "Edgar Huntly." It argues that the concept of "moral citizenship"—where citizenship intertwines with psychological constructs of morality and memory—emerged in the context of the political discourse of 1790s America. Through an analysis of the novel, the paper critiques how the contemporary understanding of the mind informed definitions of citizenship, suggesting that moral character was integral to political identity, all while challenging the assumption that psychological constructs could produce reliable historical narratives.
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