The Hunter Elite

Manly Sport, Hunting Narratives, and American Conservation, 1880-1925

Nonfiction, Sports, Outdoors, Hunting, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Environmental Conservation & Protection, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book The Hunter Elite by Tara Kathleen Kelly, University Press of Kansas
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tara Kathleen Kelly ISBN: 9780700625895
Publisher: University Press of Kansas Publication: March 15, 2018
Imprint: University Press of Kansas Language: English
Author: Tara Kathleen Kelly
ISBN: 9780700625895
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publication: March 15, 2018
Imprint: University Press of Kansas
Language: English

At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement.

Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement.

Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.

More books from University Press of Kansas

Cover of the book The Heir Apparent Presidency by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book The Nature of Childhood by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Rhythms of Change in Rocky Mountain National Park by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book MacArthur's Coalition by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book The Courts, the Ballot Box, and Gay Rights by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book The 9/11 Terror Cases by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book The Romanian Battlefront in World War I by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Leadership in American Politics by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Nancy Reagan by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Hitler's Police Battalions by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Blood on the Snow by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Losing Binh Dinh by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Spying Through a Glass Darkly by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Where There's Smoke by Tara Kathleen Kelly
Cover of the book Democratic Religion from Locke to Obama by Tara Kathleen Kelly
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy