General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: this country in its present form is beyond redemption [View all]MineralMan
(146,287 posts)Quotations about America written that long ago are pretty useless, really. I recently read Dickens' Travels in America on my Kindle. It was very interesting to see the country, as it was in the mid 19th Century, through the eyes of a British novelist. I can't say that it said much about 21st Century America, though.
British wits have always had something unpleasant to say about this country, it seems. As a student of 19th Century non-fiction, I've read many accounts from British authors about their view of this country. Few of them were complimentary.
I'm little interested in looking at outdated viewpoints when considering this country as it is today. It's a good historical perspective, but that's all. What Oscar Wilde thought of us in his day is interesting, but not useful.
www.gutenberg.org has a lot of old writings about this country, from many perspectives. They're all free to read on any device you may have. It's worth a look.