03130cam a2200313 i 4500 606156009 TxAuBib 20221104120000.0 220326s2022||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2021054973 9781421444475 HRD 32.00 142144447X HRD 32.00 TxAuBib rda Valsania, Maurizio, 1965-, author. First among men [BOOK] : George Washington and the myth of American masculinity / Maurizio Valsania. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022. x, 403 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. The American giant -- Testing himself -- A taste for cruelty and war -- A body in pain -- Checking the body -- The love letters -- The meaning of love (and marriage) -- A sentimental male -- A maternal father -- A person of fine manners -- The message ofhis clothing -- Astride the great stage -- Consummation -- Giants die as well. George Washington―hero of the French and Indian War, commander in chief of the Continental Army, and first president of the United States―died on December 14, 1799. The myth-making began immediately thereafter, and the Washington mythos crafted after his death remains largely intact. But what do we really know about Washington as an upper-class man? Washington is frequently portrayed by his biographers as America at its unflinching best: tall, shrewd, determined, resilient, stalwart, and tremendously effective in action. But this aggressive and muscular version of Washington is largely a creation of the nineteenth century. Eighteenth-century ideals of upper-class masculinity would have preferred a man with refined aesthetic tastes, graceful and elegant movements, and the ability and willingness to clearly articulate his emotions. At the same time, these eighteenth-century men subjected themselves to intense hardship and inflicted incredible amounts of violence on each other, their families, their neighbors, and the people they enslaved. In First Among Men: George Washington and the Myth of American Masculinity, Valsania considers Washington's complexity and apparent contradictions in three main areas: his physical life (often bloody, cold, injured, muddy, or otherwise unpleasant), his emotional world (sentimental, loving, and affectionate), and his social persona (carefully constructed and maintained). In each, he notes, the reality diverges from the legend quite drastically. Ultimately, Valsania challenges readers to reconsider what they think they know about Washington. Provided by publisher. 20221104. Washington, George 1732-1799 Influence. Masculinity United States History 18th century. Presidents United States Biography. United States Social life and customs 1775-1783.