Literary Criticisms

When Lemay analyzes Franklin’s autobiography he picks it apart piece by piece and

analyzes every single aspect of the book that he can. He looks at the novel from every aspect

and point of view as possible and does a superb job of analyzing Franklin’s work. Because he

does not take a standard approach to analyzing the book and picks it apart so much is what sets

his criticism aside from others and makes it truly excel in his analysis.

One of the more interesting reasons Lemay gives for the books popularity is as he

says “A more fundamental reason for the book's power and popularity lies in the archetypal

appeal of the individual's rise from helplessness to power, from dependence to independence.”

This quote evidences the analysis of Lemay’s work. The idea that the book appeals to the

masses due to the disenchantment with the American dream is an interesting one. Usually

people are demanding of something optimistic or a happy ending, but Franklin’s realistic and

cold nature of reality is an appeal to some people and because of this causes his work to be

timeless because we are all at one point disenchanted with our lives.

The aspect of popularizing the American Dream is another interesting aspect of the

literary criticisms Lemay makes. As Lemay says “Franklin is often commonly supposed to

be the progenitor of the Horatio Alger success story of nineteenth-century American popular

literature.” Although Franklin was not the first rags to riches story that everyone had heard he

was well-known and highly revered by the American public and his story coming out around the

same time as the birth of the nation gave Americans something to cling to and make their own.

The analysis of the American Dream due to Franklin’s early timing was a great aspect for Lemay

to use in his criticism of the autobiography.

Another good idea that Lemay uses in his criticism is the analysis of individuality

in Franklin’s autobiography. As Lemay says “The American Dream is a philosophy of

individualism.” This aspect of analysis shows the depth that Franklin created in his accidental

formation of The American Dream. His good timing allowed people to interpret his story as the

ideal dream for American sand his personality and individuality set him apart from people and

made him larger than life person and a hero to most average day people.

The ideas that Lemay presents in his criticism of Franklin’s autobiography show his

analytical depth and his excellent critical thinking skills. His criticism shows his off the wall

thinking method and proofs his excellent knowledge and appreciation for Ben Franklin. Due to

his careful method of picking apart several aspects of the autobiography and carefully analyzing

each one the reader is able to find a new layer of depth and complexity in Franklin’s writing. His

ideas are well thought out and rational and he presents them in a logical and methodical fashion

that allows the reader to easily understand and decipher what he is saying. These skills and his

excellent support for all of his ideas show his great skills as a critic.

Works Cited

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." In The Renaissance

Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark

Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and

the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream,

Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House,

2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http:/

/www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin=

BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 13, 2010).