The Fictions of the Real - Thoughts?

Did anyone else find the chapter on The Fictions of the Real to be a fascinating chapter?

I felt like the real heart of Trachtenberg's argument could be found through his literary analysis of Herman Melville's Billy Budd. I admit, I probably liked this chapter more than others because I have Bacherlor's in English Lit., but I thought it was a very interesting how he used literature and other artistic forms to analyze the period of the Gilded Age as being a conflict between expressing individuality, or as Trachtenberg states, "a defiance of the standards of symmetry and harmony and a "complete emancipation from levels of style," and being forced into these elements of style and conformity of public taste instituted by those in power.

I admit, I still am thinking on it and the wheels are still turning, but I just really liked the idea of "Realist" literature having the intention of speaking to the commonplace man, and how this goes back to the idea that the Gilded Age was characterized by a nervous populace that sought self-control and self-expression in the face of growing conformity. As Trachtenberg mentions in his discussion of Billy Budd, the state "no longer promised redemption" but instead forced obedience. The America founded by early colonists to be the "city on a hill" or a religious, moral example, is no more, the ideal having been torn down by gritty realities faced by Gilded Age America such as class conflict, war, and "unrelenting law".

I think this is an interesting argument that brings up more questions such as,

What does this mean for the Protestant ethic? Does Trachtenberg think the Protestant ethic was changed to conform to American nationalism?

I'll be the first to admit my post here is kind of confusing, haha, I'm still working out my thoughts, but this chapter just provoked a lot of thought for me and I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on it and what they thought.