The Federalist Papers | Albert Furtwangler (essay date 1984)
Albert Furtwangler (essay date 1984)
SOURCE: Furtwangler, Albert. “The Form of the Federalist.” In The Authority of Publius: A Reading of the Federalist Papers, pp. 45-79. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1984.
[In the following excerpt, Furtwangler discusses the figure of Publius as a coherent voice, distinct from the individual opinions or arguments of Madison, Hamilton, or Jay, and examines the theme of candor—a polite, deferential generosity—found throughout The Federalist Papers.]
PUBLIUS AND CANDOR
From these beginnings, a new figure emerged before the eyes of readers in 1787. A public figure who might seem to represent a single, thoughtful author, he was in fact an effective mask for these collaborative efforts, a fictitious, well-calculated spokesman for a new way of understanding constitutional government. To all but a handful of its readers, the Federalist was the work of “Publius.” And...
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