What is the American Dream?

About the lecture

In this module, we think about the origins and nature of the American dream, focusing on: (i) the ambiguous nature of the dream; (ii) James Truslow Adams’ definition of it as the search for “a better, richer and happier life”; and (iii) the connection between the American dream and ideas of liberty as outlined in the US Declaration of Independence (1776).

About the lecturer

Dr Niall Munro is Senior Lecturer in American Literature at Oxford Brookes University and Director of the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre. His research and teaching focuses on American modernist writing. His most recent publications include Hart Crane’s Queer Modernist Aesthetic (2015) and (as co-editor) On Commemoration: Global Reflections Upon Remembering War (2020).