Download or read book The Genteel Tradition written by George Santayana and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George Santayana probably did more than anyone except Alexis de Tocqueville to shape the critical view of American culture. The great Spanish philosopher and writer coined the phrase "genteel tradition", introducing it to a California audience in 1911. That address appears in this collection of nine essays touching on American idealism and materialism and American endeavor, sacred and profane.