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American Literature Before 1880 American Literature Before 1880 attempts to place its subject in the broadest possible international perspective. It begins with Homer looking westward, and ends with Henry James crossing the Atlantic eastwards. In between, the book examines the projection of images of the East onto an as-yet unrecognised West; the cultural consequences of Viking, Colombian, and then English migration to America; the growth and independence of the British American colonies; the key writers of the new Republic; and the development of the culture of the United States before and after the Civil War. It is intended both as an introduction for undergraduates to the richness and variety of American Literature, and as a contribution to the debate about its distinctive nature. The book therefore begins with a lengthy survey of earlier histories of American Literature.
American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present Including up-to-date coverage of 1300 writers and spanning from colonial days to the present, this reference offers biography, criticism, bibliography and much more.
Asian American Literature This critical study of Asian American literature discusses work by internationally successful writers such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Chang-rae Lee, Bharati Mukherjee, Amy Tan and others in their historical, cultural and critical contexts. The focus of this book is on contemporary writing, from the 1970s onwards, although it also traces over a hundred years of Asian American literary production in prose, poetry, drama and criticism. The main body of the book comprises five periodized chapters that highlight important events in a nation-state that has historically rendered Asian Americans invisible. Of particular importance to the writers selected for case studies are questions of racial identity, cultural history and literary value with respect to dominant American ideologies.Key features* The first readily available introductory guide to Asian American literature* Discusses a representative range of Asian American literature, providing asense of the diversity of the field and of its key themes and modes of writing* Provides close readings of key texts in the form of case studies in their cultural, historical and critical contexts* Encourages reflection on questions of literary value, canonicity and the scopeand purpose of literary studies
Black Literature Criticism Focuses on writers and works published since 1950. The majority of the authors surveyed are African American, but representative African and Caribbean authors are also included.
The Chronology of American Literature An authoritative reference and an ideal browser's guide, this book outlines the indispensable information in America's rich literary past - from major publications to lesser-known gems - while also identifying larger trends along the literary timeline.
The Columbia Companion to the Twentieth-Century American Short Story Esteemed critic Blanche Gelfant's brilliant companion gathers together lucid essays on major writers and themes by some of the best literary critics in the United States. Part 1 is comprised of articles on stories that share a particular theme, such as "Working Class Stories" or "Gay and Lesbian Stories." The heart of the book, however, lies in Part 2, which contains more than one hundred pieces on individual writers and their work, including Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Richard Ford, Raymond Carver, Eudora Welty, Andre Debus, Zora Neal Hurston, Anne Beattie, Bharati Mukherjee, J. D. Salinger, and Jamaica Kincaid, as well as engaging pieces on the promising new writers to come on the scene.
The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature A breathtaking achievement, this Concise Companion is a suitable crown to the astonishing production in African American literature and criticism that has swept over American literary studies in the last two decades. It offers an enormous range of writers-from Sojourner Truth to FrederickDouglass, from Zora Neale Hurston to Ralph Ellison, and from Toni Morrison to August Wilson. It contains entries on major works (including synopses of novels), such as Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Richard Wright's Native Son, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.It also incorporates information on literary characters such as Bigger Thomas, Coffin Ed Johnson, Kunta Kinte, Sula Peace, as well as on character types such as Aunt Jemima, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Stackolee, and the trickster. Icons of black culture are addressed, including vivid details about thelives of Muhammad Ali, John Coltrane, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, John Brown, and Harriet Tubman. Here, too, are general articles on poetry, fiction, and drama; on autobiography, slave narratives, Sunday School literature, and oratory; as well as on a wide spectrum of related topics. Compact yet thorough, this handy volume gathers works from a vast array of sources--from the black periodicalpress to women's clubs--making it one of the most substantial guides available on the growing, exciting world of African American literature.
Contemporary American Literature : Laughing at the Darkness : Postmodernism and Optimism in American Humour Paul McDonald's book is the second in the Humanities Ebooks Contemporary American Literature Series, edited by Christopher Gair and Aliki Varvogli. Given that postmodernism has been associated with doubt, chaos, relativism and the disappearance of reality, it may appear difficult to reconcile with American optimism. Laughing at the Darkness demonstrates that this is not always the case. In examining the work of, among others, Sherman Alexie, Woody Allen, Douglas Coupland, Jonathan Safran Foer, Bill Hicks, David Mamet, and Philip Roth, McDonald shows how American humourists bring their comedy to bear on some of the negative implications of philosophical postmodernism and, in so doing, explore ways of reclaiming value.
Critical Insights: American Multicultural Identity The cultural diversity of the United States makes it impossible to describe American identity as homogenous or monolithic. The sense of belonging to multiple cultures and its relationship to identity are central concerns in literary works by African, Native, Asian, Latino/a, and other ethnic Americans. While some prioritize one culture over another, others emphasize the space in between, to insist on a balance between the two, or to express a feeling of being in-between, or the inability to participate in either side, as so brilliantly evoked in Sui Sin Far's description: "I give my right hand to the Occidentals and my left to the Orientals, hoping that between them they will not utterly destroy the insignificant 'connecting link.'" In multicultural America, identity can be complicated, confusing, even frustrating while at the same time inspiring new perspectives, creativity, and a rich source of pride. This volume features studies of works as diverse as Sherman Alexie's National Book Award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land, and the lesser known but equally powerful Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lop#65533;z. Also offered are essays exploring cultural and historical contexts including one by Annette Harris Powell on the changing politics of hyphenation in the United States and its literature over the course of the 20th century
Critical Insights: American Road Literature An exploration of ""cruising"" America, American Road Literature examines the prominent themes and stories of the American road narrative. Beginning with the westward thrust of early America's seaboard colonies to the romanticised and philosophical road narratives of the Beat Generation, the American experience--its ideals, dreams, and subsequent disillusionments--has been quintessentially linked to the road. Whether gruelling or carefree, spiritual or physical, these journeys upon the American highway have helped us to explore and define our diverse culture and establish the road narrative as an essential American genre. This volume in the Critical Insights series presents a variety of new essays on the genre. For readers who are studying it for the first time, four essays survey the critical conversation regarding the American road narrative, explore its cultural and historical contexts, and offer close and comparative readings of key texts in the genre. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of American road literature can then move on to other essays that explore it in depth through a variety of critical approaches. Works discussed include Theodore Dreiser's A Hoosier Holiday, Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Sinclair Lewis' Free Air, and N. Scott Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain, as well as the works of Mark Twain, Wright Morris, Cormac McCarthy, Stephen King, and Theodore Roethke. Among the contributors are Ann Brigham, Barry Alford, Dominic Ording, Deborah Paes de Barros, and Maureen Eke. Rounding out the volume are a list of literary works not mentioned in the book that concern the theme as well as a bibliography of critical sources for readers seeking to study this timeless theme in greater depth. Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of ""Works Cited,"" along with endnotes. Finally, the volume's appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources: About This Volume Critical Context: Original Introductory Essays Critical Readings: Original In-Depth Essays Further Readings Detailed Bibliography Detailed Bio of the Editor General Subject Index
Critical Insights: American Short Story Diverse in theme, style and cultural context, the American short story can take many forms. The only common theme is the short story's unique ability to captivate an audience. This volume discusses the origin and popularity of the short story. Original critical essays on a diverse collection of writers highlight Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, O. Henry, Kate Chopin and many others. Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of ""Works Cited,"" along with endnotes. Finally, the volume's appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources.
Critical Insights: Social Justice and American Literature Outstanding, in-depth scholarship by renowned literary critics; great starting point for students seeking an introduction to the theme and the critical discussions surrounding it. Social Justice and American Literature will examine the work of Richard Wright, Amy Lowell, Philip Roth, Kate Chopin and James Baldwin among others. Themes that will be dealt with are: gender and feminism; gay writers; Native American, Asian American, and Hispanic/Border writers; Appalachian and socioeconomic justice. Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of ""Works Cited,"" along with endnotes. Finally, the volume's appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources: About This Volume Critical Context: Original Introductory Essays Critical Readings: Original In-Depth Essays Further Readings Detailed Bibliography Detailed Bio of the Editor General Subject Index
Critical Insights: The American Dream Deconstruction of the promise of prosperity and success--and often subsequent disillusionment--associated with the American Dream and Experience ""The American Dream"" is a phrase that has become an essential component of the American experience, a phrase that, once entered into the national lexicon, has come to define our nation's identity, underlying nearly every aspect of our lives. And since the birth of the founding document of our nation, the Declaration of Independence, the idea of ""the American Dream"" has become a pervasive and frequently deconstructed theme within the canon of American literature. Critical Insights: The American Dream offers thirteen original essays exploring the contexts and expressions of the dream as it is reflected in our imaginative literature. For readers who are studying it for the first time, a four essays survey the critical conversation regarding the theme, explore its cultural and historical contexts, and offer close and comparative readings of key texts in the genre. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the theme can then move on to other essays that explore it in depth through a variety of critical approaches. Works discussed include The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, Bernard Malamud's The Assistant, Am#65533;rico Paredes's George Washington Gomez, and Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, as well as the works of Willa Cather, Cormac McCarthy, Theodore Dreiser, and Michal Gold, among others. Among the contributors are Donna Packer-Kinlaw, Carol S. Loranger, Steven Frye, Roark Mulligan, and Lee Schweninger. Rounding out the volume are a list of literary works not mentioned in the book that concern the theme as well as a bibliography of critical sources for readers seeking to study this timeless theme in greater depth. Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of ""Works Cited,"" along with endnotes. Finally, the volume's appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources: About This Volume Critical Context: Original Introductory Essays Critical Readings: Original In-Depth Essays Further Readings Detailed Bibliography Detailed Bio of the Editor General Subject Index
Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Twentieth Century Contains entries that treat a broad range of individual poets and poems, along with many articles devoted to topics, schools, or periods of American verse in the century.
Gay and Lesbian Themes Gay & Lesbian Themes is a single-volume reference that contains selected essays from Critical Survey of Poetry, Fourth Edition. The essays in Gay & Lesbian Themes discuss such influential poets as John Ashbery, Hart Crane, Allen Ginsburg, Sappho, and Oscar Wilde. See below for the complete Table of Contents.
A History of American Literature: 1950 to the Present A HISTORY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE 1950 TO THE PRESENT Featuring works from notable authors as varied as Salinger and the Beats to Vonnegut, Capote, Morrison, Rich, Walker, Eggers, and DeLillo, A History of American Literature: 1950 to the Present offers a comprehensive analysis of the wide range of literary works produced in the United States over the last six decades and a fascinating survey of the dramatic changes during America's transition from the innocence of the fifties to the harsh realities of the first decade of the new millennium. Author Linda Wagner-Martin - a highly acclaimed authority on all facets of modern American literature - covers major works of drama, poetry, fiction, non- fiction, memoirs, and popular genres such as science fiction and detective novels. Viewing works produced during this fertile literary period from a wide-ranging perspective, Wagner-Martin considers literature in relation to such issues as the politics of civil rights, feminism, sexual preferences, and race- and gender-based marketing. She also places a special emphasis on works produced during the twenty-first century, and writings influenced by recent historic events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the global financial crisis. With its careful balance of scholarly precision and accessibility, A History of American Literature: 1950 to the Present provides readers of all levels with rich and revealing insights into the diversity of literary forms and influences that characterize postmodern America. "A monumental distillation of an enormous range of material, Wagner-Martin's rich book should be required reading for anyone grappling with making sense of the prolific, broad-spectrum, and diverse writing in the US since 1950." Thadious M. Davis, University of Pennsylvania "Linda Wagner-Martin's history impressively and judiciously surveys all fields of American writing over the past sixty years, taking full account of significant cultural and historical contexts and the major critical commentaries that have helped shape our understanding of developments in the second half of the last century and the dozen years following the millennium. Balanced, informative, and always highly readable there is much here for general readers, students, and specialists alike." Christopher MacGowan, the College of William and Mary
A Journey Through American Literature A vivid snapshot of America's kaleidoscopic literary tradition, A Journey Through American Literature illuminates the authors, works, and events that have shaped our cultural heritage. Kevin J. Hayes charts this history through a series of approachable thematic chapters - Narrative Voice andthe Short Story, the Drama of the Everyday, the Great American Novel - that reveal the richness of our literature while providing a compelling set of footholds with which to engage it. Among the topics covered are the role of travel and the symbolism of geography, characters and the importance of voice and dialect, self-definition and the American dream, new beginnings, and the role of memory. Hayes not only discusses the main canonical genres like poetry, drama, and the novel,but also looks at travel writing, autobiography, and frame tales. Key writers like Mark Twain, Ralph Ellison, Emily Dickinson, and Harriet Jacobs are central players in the drama while dozens more create a backdrop that gives this history depth. The book also features over 20 illustrations, abibliography, and a chronology listing the key events and work in America's literary history.
Magill's Literary Annual 2021 Each year, Magill's Literary Annual critically evaluates 200 major examples of serious literature published during the previous calendar year. the philosophy behind our selection process is to cover works that are likely to be of interest to general readers, that are written by authors being taught in literature programs, and that will stand the test of time. By filtering the thousands of books published every year down to 200 notable titles, the editors have provided the busy librarian with an excellent reader's advisory tool and patrons with fodder for book discussion groups and a guide for choosing worthwhile reading material.
Major Black American Writers Through the Harlem Renaissance -- Covers more than 1,400 of the most important authors who write in English -- Ranges from the author of Beowulf to present-day writers -- Includes writers in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand -- Each volume covers approximately 12 authors and includes a concise biography, a selection of critical extracts, and a complete and up-to-date bibliography of the author's separate publications
A New Literary History of America A New Literary History of America contains essays on topics from the first conception of a New World in the sixteenth century to the latest re-envisioning of that world in cartoons, television, science fiction, and hip hop. Literature, music, film, art, history, science, philosophy, political rhetoriccultural creations of every kind appear in relation to each other, and to the time and place that give them shape. Also contains an introduction and index.
Nonfiction Classics for Students Nonfiction Classics for Students provides in-depth literary and historical background on the most commonly studied nonfiction essays, books, biographies and memoirs in a streamlined, easy-to-use format. Covering 15-20 works per volume, this five-volume reference set gives high school and undergraduate students an ideal starting point for class assignments, term papers and special projects.
Novelists with Gay and Lesbian Themes Novelists With Gay & Lesbian Themes contains selected essays from Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition. Every article in this set was carefully selected by our editors to provide the best information available about the topic covered. The essays in Novelists With Gay & Lesbian Themes discuss such influential writers as James Baldwin, Michael Cunningham, Patricia Highsmith, and Gore Vidal.
Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels When your high school students need understandable explanations of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple and other novels frequently studied in literature courses, direct them to this new reference from Gale. Each volume of Novels for Students contains easily accessible and content-rich discussions of the literary and historical background of 15 to 20 works from various cultures and time periods. Each novel included in this new resource was specially chosen by an advisory panel of teachers and librarians -- experts who have helped us define the information needs of students and ensure the age-appropriateness of this reference's content.
Poetry for Students Series
Short Stories for Students Series

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Activism and the American Novel Since the 1980s, many activists and writers have turned from identity politics toward ethnic religious traditions to rediscover and reinvigorate their historic role in resistance to colonialism and oppression.
The American Mystery: American Literature from Emerson to DeLillo The late Tony Tanner was one of the most distinctive and distinguished critical voices on American literature. His work is familiar to generations of students and scholars, and has helped shape our understanding of the major nineteenth and twentieth century American writers.
The Cambridge Companion to American Travel Writing Travel writing has always been intimately linked with the construction of American identity. Occupying the space between fact and fiction, it exposes cultural fault lines and reveals the changing desires and anxieties of both the traveller and the reading public.
The Construction of Irish Identity in American Literature This book examines the development of literary constructions of Irish-American identity from the mid-nineteenth century arrival of the Famine generation through the Great Depression. It goes beyond an analysis of negative Irish stereotypes and shows how Irish characters became the site of intense cultural debate regarding American identity, with some writers imagining Irishness to be the antithesis of Americanness, but others suggesting Irishness to be a path to Americanization.
Encyclopedia of American Literature This four-volume set covers American literature, from the European discovery of America to the present, with entries in alphabetical order. It includes 350 substantive critical and interpretive essays on the most-studied American authors, literary masterworks, and genres or movements.
Hard-boiled Sentimentality : The Secret History of American Crime Stories Leonard Cassuto's cultural history links the testosterone-saturated heroes of American crime stories to the sensitive women of the nineteenth-century sentimental novel. From classics like The Big Sleep and The Talented Mr. Ripley to neglected paperback gems, Cassuto chronicles the dialogue--centered on the power of sympathy--between these popular genres and the sweeping social changes of the twentieth century, ending with a surprising connection between today's serial killers and the domestic fictions of long ago.
Hispanic-American Writers This new edition of ""Hispanic-American Writers"" offers critical perspectives on the many Hispanic authors who have staked out a vibrant and burgeoning presence on the American literary scene. This addition to the ""Bloom's Modern Critical Views"" series is enhanced by a chronology, bibliography, notes on the contributors, and a introductory essay by noted literary professor Harold Bloom.
A Jury of Her Peers : American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx A Jury of Her Peers is an unprecedented literary landmark: the first comprehensive history of American women writers from 1650 to 2000. In a narrative of immense scope and fascination, brimming with Elaine Showalter's characteristic wit and incisive opinions, we are introduced to more than 250 female writers.
Magill's Literary Annual 2021 Each year, Magill's Literary Annual critically evaluates 200 major examples of serious literature published during the previous calendar year. the philosophy behind our selection process is to cover works that are likely to be of interest to general readers, that are written by authors being taught in literature programs, and that will stand the test of time. By filtering the thousands of books published every year down to 200 notable titles, the editors have provided the busy librarian with an excellent reader's advisory tool and patrons with fodder for book discussion groups and a guide for choosing worthwhile reading material.
Modern Arab American Fiction An overview of Arab-American fiction as it has developed over the past twenty years.
A New Literary History of America America is a nation making itself up as it goes along a story of discovery and invention unfolding in speeches and images, letters and poetry, unprecedented feats of scholarship and imagination. In these myriad, multiform, endlessly changing expressions of the American experience, the authors and editors of this volume find a new American history.
The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States From Anne Bradstreet's The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America in the seventeenth century, to Toni Morrison's Nobel Prize in 1993, women writers have woven a rich tapestry of voices across four centuries of American history. Their writings have embraced a marvelous diversity of visions,including those of Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Cynthia Ozick, Gwendolyn Brooks, Kate Chopin, Maya Angelou, Annie Dillard, Joan Didion, Edith Wharton, Adrienne Rich, Djuna Barnes, and Willa Cather.