Horatio Alger Myth
The "Horatio Alger myth" is the rags to riches message in books by Horatio Alger, Jr.. Alger wrote over 100 books for young working class males, beginning with Ragged Dick, which was published in 1867. His books have been described as rags to riches stories. “By leading exemplary lives, struggling valiantly against poverty and adversity,” Alger’s protagonists gain both wealth and honor, ultimately realizing the American Dream. The characters in his formulaic stories sometimes improved their social position through the aid of an older, kindly, wealthly helping person.
Read more about Horatio Alger Myth: Success of Alger's Characters, Criticism and Analysis
Famous quotes containing the word myth:
“That, of course, was the thing about the fifties with all their patina of familial bliss: A lot of the memories were not happy, not mine, not my friends’. That’s probably why the myth so endures, because of the dissonance in our lives between what actually went on at home and what went on up there on those TV screens where we were allegedly seeing ourselves reflected back.”
—Anne Taylor Fleming (20th century)