LibGuides: American Literature: Open Access

About American Literature

Bartleby.com "the most comprehensive reference publisher on the web..." This site includes a full text collection of classic literature and reference works (formerly Project Bartleby). Special interest: The American Novel, The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, Fiction, The Harvard Classics, Modern American Poetry, The Short-Story, Verse, and Yale Book of American Verse.
Bibliomania - Free Online Literature and Study Guides This site archives full text works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and reference. Find such works as A.S. Eddington's Stars, James Joyce's Ulysses, William Blake's Songs of Innocence or Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Special interest: Collections, Fiction and Study Guides. Note: You must register to access study guides, but they are free.
Etext Center: Collections Part of the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia. This site has archived many English language works. Note: Larger works can be retrieved in sections by way of a Table of Contents [TOC] choice. Some items are available to UVa users only due to licensing requirements. Special interest: Bestsellers 1900-1930, African-American Literature, American Civil War, Early American Fiction, Native American.
Library of Southern Literature Homepage Part of the larger Documenting the American South site at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This portion has archived the works of southern authors such as Kate Chopin, Edgar Allen Poe and Booker T. Washington.
Literary Kicks A very well done site on the Beat writers such as Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Ferlinghetti. Information on each writer includes a biography, bibliography of the writer's works and links to online versions where available, bibliographies of works about the author, and links to other publications and web sites on the author.
PAL: Table of Contents From Paul P. Reuben, Ph.D., Professor of English, California State University Stanislaus. This online text book covers American Literature from Early American Literature to Contemporary. It gives background information on each period and author, including links to full text versions of the author's work where available.

eBooks

USEmbassy.de: The Outline of American Literature
USA Literature in Brief
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NPRs In Character

An interesting take on character studies from National Public Radio.

American Literature Collections

All these websites are primary sources.

American Literature - Classics Library Find classic American stories divided by chapter such as: Heart of Darkness, The Prince and the Pauper, and Moby Dick. Special interest: Short Stories.
American Poetry - Google Books Read and download American poetry.
American Short Story - Google Books Read and download American short stories.
American Verse Project
Bartleby: Modern American Poetry Modern American Poetry contains over 130 poems from American masters such as Ezra Pound, Sara Teasdale, Stephen Vincent Benét, Emily Dickinson, and many others.
Bartleby: The American Novel This historical treatment of the development of the “Great American Novel” expands upon Van Doren’s chapters on fiction in the Cambridge History of American Literature.
Bartleby: The Book of American Negro Poetry
Bartleby: The Book of New York Verse
Bartleby: Yale Book of American Verse Thomas Lounsbury is perhaps best known for his vigorous commitment to making English a recognized and respected course of study. With his passion for the study of literary history and the American language, Lounsbury proves to be the ideal editor for this all-inclusive collection of American verse through 1912.
Documenting the American South
Google Books: American Poetry Read and download American poetry.
Google Books: American Short Story Read and download American short stories.
Library of Southern Literature Homepage Part of the larger Documenting the American South site at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This portion has archived the works of southern authors such as Kate Chopin, Edgar Allen Poe and Booker T. Washington.
Native American Oral Tales and Songs Native American Poetry
The Online Books Page American Literature Part of the larger The Online Books Page site at the University of Pennsylvania, this portion covers American literature. Find the works of such authors as Franklin, Bierce, and Longfellow. Special interest: A Celebration of Women Writers: Writers from the USA and Indigenous American and Artificial Languages.
The Online Books Page Indigeneous American and Artificial Language Read Indigenous American literature.
Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
The Short Story Library - American Literature Find short stories by American greats, such as Irving, London and Twain.

Watch CSPAN American Writers

Click on titles to see available videos on American writers, then click watch the program when by your writer.

20th Century