American Perspective; Images of America : The Capri Letters
Description:
Episode 10: Continuing his discussion of the European image of America, Mr. Wilson turns to Mario Soldati's The Capri Letters, a novel essentially about two Americans and two Italians in Capri. Soldati has spent some time living and studying in America, and it is on the basis of this experience that he has drawn the characters of the Americans. Dr. Wilson discusses how accurate, or inaccurate, his portraits are, why they succeed and why they fail and what Americans can learn about themselves and their relations with Europeans by reading a European reconstruction of Americans. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche) Episode 9: Dr. Wilson turns from the American image of Europe, and its reaction to that part of the world, and examines the European image of America: where it comes from, what it consists of, and what effects this image can have both on us and on other nations. Quoting from a recent collection of essays, As Others See Us, Dr. Wilson shows how our novels, our tourists, and our movies have come to represent our "true" nature too exclusively. He explains with particular detail the effects of our novels - Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, The Postman Always Rings Twice, -- upon thoughtful Europeans who believe that these represent a candid and comprehensive portrait of America. This program is devoted to the effects of American literature, not on ourselves, but on others. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche) In nineteen half-hour episodes, Graham C. Wilson presents a lively and at times controversial discussion of some the problems with which American literature has tried to deal. Among these, the two most important are our relations with foreign countries - chiefly European - and our definition of the American hero. If we understand these problems and their presentation in our literature, we will have made great progress in understanding ourselves, Dr. Wilson believes. His informal and witty lectures provide the audience with an unusual introduction to the subject. Graham C. Wilson is a professor of Renaissance literature at the San Jose State College in California. Prior to this series, Dr. Wilson prepared a television series designed to help English teachers present the plays of Shakespeare to their students. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
