Description
Book SynopsisThis fresh, diverse anthology of American short fiction challenges readers to interrogate commonly held ideas about the genres of realism and naturalism.
Trade Review“An impressive collection that … highlights the ways short story authors of the period grappled with complex responses to an increasingly complicated nation. The anthology reminds readers of the contributions these authors made to the short story form and, more broadly, to American fiction. This valuable collection contains thoughtful annotations and comprehensive apparatus useful to instructors and students alike…. One of the finest anthologies of American Realist short story fiction available.” -- Sterling Lecater Bland, Jr., professor of English, African American studies, and American studies, Rutgers University-Newark
“An innovative and exciting selection of lesser-known but provocative texts by established writers as well as by authors not usually gathered into anthologies. The contents have been selected to challenge and expand the definition of ‘realism’—especially works that include sentimental and romantic elements and therefore more accurately reflect what readers encountered in the pages of periodicals … The result is a refreshing and intriguing anthology of more diverse subjects, offering a more accurate representation of the progressive and conservative views readers originally encountered.” -- Keith Newlin, editor of the Oxford Handbook of American Literary Realism and Studies in American Naturalism
An ambitious effort to recanonize the short fiction of the period. -- Gary Scharnhorst * American Literary Realism *
