Description
Book SynopsisAmerican Literature in Context to 1865 discussesthe issues and events that engaged American writers of the period, providing original and useful readings of important literary works that demonstrate how context contributes to meaning
- Covers a range of genres including the myths, chants and songs of indigenous cultures, sermons, slave narratives, essays and the novels and poetry to 1865
- Designed to be used alongside the major anthologies of literature from the period
- Equips students with the necessary historical context needed to understand the writings from this period
- Pedagogical features include a detailed bibliography, and a transatlantic timeline, with literary works, and historical events
Trade Review"Joining numerous other volumes in the "Literature in Context" series, this is an excellent starting point for students of American literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-and upper-division undergraduates; general readers." (Choice, 1 August 2011)
"The book includes a transatlantic timeline featuring key literary works and historical events, in addition to suggestions for further reading and a few b&w art illustrations." (Booknews, 1 April 2011)
"In the end this book is an innovative soul within a traditional body. It presents the historical context of American writing from a variety of perspectives within a period structure relevant to many current college courses." (NBOL-19, October 2010)
Table of ContentsPreface viii
Acknowledgments ix
Timeline of Texts and Historical Events x
The Arrival of the Europeans 1
European Exploration and Settlement: The Anvil and the Golden Fleece 17
The City on a Hill: Alternative Visions 32
From Colonies to Nation 61
The Struggle for Identity in Post-Revolutionary America 80
American Expansion and the Transcendentalists 98
The Originals: Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman 124
A House Divided: Abolitionism, the Women’s Movement, and the Civil War 146
Bibliography 171
Index 180
