The Political Fiction of Ward Just: Imagining a Ruling Elite, Class, and Theories of Representation uses three theoretical frameworks of representation-literary, political, and diplomatic-to demonstrate how the upper-class status of the ruling elites in Ward Just's political fiction influences the way they govern. He illustrates how Just's ruling elites develop a coherent "upper class" form of consciousness that limits their ability as elected officials to adequately represent the interests of all the nation's citizens domestically-especially the poor and working class-and their ability as diplomats to adequately represent the interests of the nation as a whole internationally. In his conclusion, the author offers suggestions for ways to make our ruling elites more representative of the interests of the working class and underprivileged groups at home and more sensitive to the cultures of the countries in which they serve abroad.
David Smit is Professor Emeritus of English at Kansas State University.
Introduction Part One: Literary Representation Chapter One: Theories of Class Representation Chapter Two: Representing Ruling Elite Consciousness Part Two: Political Representation Chapter Three: Theories of Political Representation Chapter Four: Representing the Few Part Three: Diplomatic Representation Chapter Five: Theories of Diplomatic Representation Chapter Six: Representing the Idea of America Conclusion
David Smit provides an astute and careful measurement of the way Ward Just's fiction interrogates the movers and shakers in Washington, generation after generation. Smit's analysis judiciously foregrounds political theory where necessary, but at the same time recognizes now faithfully Just wrote out the truths he learned in being a consummate insider with a lifetime of experience mixing with the "ruling elite." The texts examined by Smit show the depth of understanding Just had with regard to the privileged few who exercise so much influence in American politics, whether on the right or on the left, almost always without grasping the consequences or their efforts for ordinary citizens. No writer in the past 30 years scrutinized American politics more steadily and insightfully than Ward Just in his fiction, and David Smits illuminates this work with a keen eye for telling detail, just the sort of scholarship warranted for a writer who had Henry James as a strong influence. -- Owen W. Gilman, Saint Joseph's University In his literary analysis of the fiction of Ward Just, David Smit brings us back to questions surrounding class and representation in the United States that were first debated by the Founders. Through his analysis, Smit convincingly argues that Just's fiction presents a damning critique of an American ruling elite that fails to understand and represent any interests outside of its own. -- Mark D. Brewer, University of Maine
