Magnetic America : personal magnetism in American culture, 1870-1900 -- Command performances: leaders and their technologies, 1890-1910 -- Transformations: the follower experience, 1890-1920 -- Competing visions: imagining charisma and social change, 1890-1910 -- Changing society: the rise and fall of progressive charisma, 1910-1920 -- End of an age: from magnetism to mass communication, 1920-1940
Summary
"An innovative examination of American society, culture, and politics, The Age of Charisma argues that the modern relationship between American leaders and followers grew out of a unique group of charismatic social movements prominent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Drawing on hundreds of letters and testimonials, Jeremy C. Young illustrates how 'personal magnetism' in public speaking shaped society by enabling a shift from emotionally-inaccessible leadership to emotionally-available leadership. This charismatic speaking style caused a rapid transformation in the leader-follower relationship, creating an emotional link between speakers and listeners, and the effects of this social transformation remain with us today"--Provided by publisher
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 282-313) and index
