When one nation becomes two, or when two nations become one, what does national affiliation mean or require? Elizabeth Duquette answers this question by demonstrating how loyalty was used during the U.S. Civil War to define proper allegiance to the Union. For Northerners during the war, and individuals throughout the nation after Appomattox, loyalty affected the construction of national identity, moral authority, and racial characteristics. Loyal Subjects considers how the Civil War complicated the cultural value of emotion, especially the ideal of sympathy. Through an analysis of literary works written during and after the conflict-from Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Chiefly About War Matters" through Henry James's The Bostonians and Charles Chestnutt's "The Wife of His Youth," to the Pledge of Allegiance and W.E.B. Du Bois's John Brown, among many others-Duquette reveals that although American literary criticism has tended to dismiss the Civil War's impact, postwar literature was profoundly shaped by loyalty.

Loyal Subject? By: James H. Nisenson Military maneuvers and comedy have one thing in common: Timing is everything. Samuel C. Horsenail has just been discharged from the British Navy, landing in Boston in May 1772, a little over two years after the Boston Massacre. With his guile, Horsenail is able to purchase a “hardscrabble” farm just outside of the city, but he must indenture himself and his family to the land—that means his wife gets to come to America, but her battle axe of a mother comes too. As the American Revolution sweeps through the colonies, the fast-talking con artist Horsenail toes the line between loyal subject and new-world patriot, playing both sides of the battlefield in a two-sided cloak. Embarrassingly funny and shockingly topical, this good-natured spoof of the American Revolution is one part fact and three parts farse.

"The Loyal Subject" by Francis Beaumont is a compelling Jacobean drama that explores themes of loyalty, duty, and the abuse of power. Set in a fictional kingdom, the play follows the story of Ferneze, a loyal subject who finds himself torn between his allegiance to the crown and his sense of justice. At the heart of the drama is Ferneze's struggle to navigate the complex political landscape of the kingdom, where corruption and tyranny reign unchecked. As the plot unfolds, Ferneze is forced to confront difficult choices and moral dilemmas, including his complicity in the oppression of his fellow citizens and his loyalty to the monarchy. Through its vivid characters and richly textured language, "The Loyal Subject" offers a searing critique of political corruption and abuse of power, while also exploring timeless themes of honor, integrity, and the nature of authority. Beaumont's skillful blend of tragedy and comedy creates a compelling narrative that captivates audiences and prompts reflection on the responsibilities of citizenship and the obligations of leadership.

Reproduction of the original: The Loyal Subject, a Tragi-Comedy by Beaumont and Fletcher

Reproduction of the original.