The figure of the American Adam is a prevalent myth in US cultural history. Defined by R.W.B. Lewis in 1955 as "the hero of new adventure ...an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self-propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited
Jonathan Mitchell is Lecturer in English Literature, at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is treasurer of the Irish Association of American Studies.
1. The Fall, Amongst Other Things; Part I. Adam and Modernity; 2. Postcards From the Frontier; 3. The Hero in the Modern World; Part II. Adam in the Cold War; 4. In the Shadow of Bombs; 5. From War to Love and Back Again; Part III. Adam and Postmodernity; 6. Vietnam Syndrome; 7. The End of Ideology?; Postscript: Kennedy is Dead, Long Live Kennedy!; Bibliography; Index.