1. Specifics:
The main 'character' or 'key figure' in my paper is going to be William F. Buckley, Jr. ('WFB' for the sake of time--I'm definitely not official enough to really get to refer to him by a nickname). WFT was the standard-bearer of the modern Conservative movement, founder of the National Review, mentor of Goldwater and Reagan (among many others), and yes, spy novelist. He died in early 2008.
I am inclined to look at Buckley's influence in California politics (thank you to Tom for suggesting 'Suburban Warriors'-- it was also recommended to me by Jonathan Herzog, who I'm guessing you had as a professor? If not, props to you for finding a really good book!). Despite this early inclination, I think I might at least start by looking at Buckely's influence on the East Coast--so more Connecticut than California. He wrote 'God and Man at Yale' when he was only 26, and I think it might be important to go back to his maturation as a political thinker than jump right into his influence (I think I'll understand his influence better if I can map where he was coming from a bit).
That said, I will need to narrow this story down a lot. So I might still look at his early days just enough to be able to write a paper about his later life/work, if that makes sense.
2. Argument:
I'm still working on this, but I think that I want to look at WFB's development of modern 'conservative values' : about religion, marriage, and race (for a time he supported segregation). I don't have a thesis yet because I think I need to start researching before I can decide just exactly where I am going to go with this.
3. Significance:
Why does this matter?
Obama is in office. What does this mean for American conservatives? How are they mounting a comeback? Is Sarah Palin really the answer? If so, how does that even remotely fit in to Buckley's ideals of conservatism-- if at all? Is the 'Republican base' conservative in the way that WFB helped mold it to be in earlier decades, or is it now light-years away? Coming changes and current re-vamping of the Republican party are closely connected to changes in the conservative movement (is it coming back? Did it ever really go away?)
4. Primary Literature and some Troubleshooting:
I plan to use the Buckley Papers at the Hoover Archive, but since this collection is no where near as extensive as Yale's (where most of his papers--more than seven tons--were donated upon his death), I think I am going to have to go some other routes as well. I plan to look into finding correspondences between WFB and politicians which might be held at Hoover, as well as into correspondences between him and Hoover fellows themselves. Looking at the Reagan Archives, which I believe I can find online, may be helpful as well. Looking at some of WFB's books (maybe not the spy novels though..!) will also be key, as well as examining recordings of his long-running television program, Firing Line.
5. Secondary Literature and some Troubleshooting:
There have been lots and lots of books written about Buckley, his life and ideas, so I feel like I will have a wealth of secondary sources. I can also look into scholarly/academic articles written about the conservative movement that cite Buckley and his ideas.
Troubleshooting: there is so much out there...narrowing down might prove difficult. I really need to start looking into some basic sources to get an idea of my thesis, so I don't get swamped in literature.
Thanks for reading! Hope everyone's week is going well,
Sylvie
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