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This book is the first full-length study into the Reagan presidency with the tools of narratology. It expands the understudied field of research into political narratives as concrete policy tools and provides a new means of understanding the continuing popularity of Reagan as a President.

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An Introduction and Methodological Remarks The Narrative Approach to Reagan´s Policymaking Structuring a Political Narrative Reagan and Other Characters in the Stories Beyond Authorship - Reagan as Narrator Audience as Storyworld Participants Re-Creating the Mythical America as a Storyverse Possible Worlds as Products of Narratives Political Manipulation of the Storyworld Combining Storyworlds into a Storyverse American Religion Sacred Profanity - Religion and Politics in the U.S. Reagan´s Personal Faith and Beliefs ´American Civil Religion´ Reagan´s Vision of American Way of Life American Dream as Object Of Belief Blending the Mythical and Religious into Politcal Religion and Narrative Religion as Material for Myth Americanonized Myths of U.S. Politics Exodus into the New Eden The Shining City on a Hill Unified Past, Present and Future in Mythical America Coda

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JAN HANSKA is a Post Doctoral Researcher at the University of Tampere, Finland and works as an officer in the Finnish Defence Forces (Army).

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