A Companion to American Literature, 3 Volume Set (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

""The test of time," an abundant literature, geographical expansiveness, artistry, and, more recently, inclusiveness represented by a complex awareness of gender and cultural diversity. These are key criteria used to determine entry into American literary canons and American literary histories. Scholars who specialize in indigenous oral literatures would doubtless claim that this literature fulfills all the criteria and thus deserves a major place in canon and history. For these readers, I could proceed directly to the main business of this chapter: an overview of how Native oral narratives, song, and ceremony have and will continue to challenge in constructive ways EuroAmerican concepts of authorship, context, genre, geographic and period designation, the functions of literature, and the importance of understanding how literature is experienced. But most American literature teachers and students have little knowledge of the magnitude and importance of the oral literatures. For these readers, it is appropriate to begin by establishing how this form of literature fulfills conventional expectations for inclusion in a twenty-first century literary history-and specifically inclusion as the grand opening entry to the narrative of our literature"--;Volume I. Origins-1820 / edited by Theresa Strouth Gaul -- Volume II. 1820-1914 / edited by Linck Johnson -- Volume III. 1914-Present / edited by Michael Soto.

A comprehensive, chronological overview of American literature in three scholarly and authoritative volumes

A Companion to American Literature traces the history and development of American literature from its early origins in Native American oral tradition to 21 st century digital literature. This comprehensive three-volume set brings together contributions from a diverse international team of accomplished young scholars and established figures in the field. Contributors explore a broad range of topics in historical, cultural, political, geographic, and technological contexts, engaging the work of both well-known and non-canonical writers of every period.

Volume One is an inclusive and geographically expansive examination of early American literature, applying a range of cultural and historical approaches and theoretical models to a dramatically expanded canon of texts. Volume Two covers American literature between 1820 and 1914, focusing on the development of print culture and the literary marketplace, the emergence of various literary movements, and the impact of social and historical events on writers and writings of the period. Spanning the 20 th and early 21 st centuries, Volume Three studies traditional areas of American literature as well as the literature from previously marginalized groups and contemporary writers often overlooked by scholars. This inclusive and comprehensive study of American literature:

• Examines the influences of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and disability on American literature
• Discusses the role of technology in book production and circulation, the rise of literacy, and changing reading practices and literary forms
• Explores a wide range of writings in multiple genres, including novels, short stories, dramas, and a variety of poetic forms, as well as autobiographies, essays, lectures, diaries, journals, letters, sermons, histories, and graphic narratives.
• Provides a thematic index that groups chapters by contexts and illustrates their links across different traditional chronological boundaries

A Companion to American Literature is a valuable resource for students coming to the subject for the first time or preparing for field examinations, instructors in American literature courses, and scholars with more specialized interests in specific authors, genres, movements, or periods.

A comprehensive, chronological overview of American literature in three scholarly and authoritative volumes A Companion to American Literature traces the history and development of American literature from its early origins in Native American oral tradition to 21st century digital literature. This comprehensive three-volume set brings together contributions from a diverse international team of accomplished young scholars and established figures in the field. Contributors explore a broad range of topics in historical, cultural, political, geographic, and technological contexts, engaging the work of both well-known and non-canonical writers of every period. Volume One is an inclusive and geographically expansive examination of early American literature, applying a range of cultural and historical approaches and theoretical models to a dramatically expanded canon of texts. Volume Two covers American literature between 1820 and 1914, focusing on the development of print culture and the literary marketplace, the emergence of various literary movements, and the impact of social and historical events on writers and writings of the period. Spanning the 20th and early 21st centuries, Volume Three studies traditional areas of American literature as well as the literature from previously marginalized groups and contemporary writers often overlooked by scholars. This inclusive and comprehensive study of American literature: Examines the influences of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and disability on American literature Discusses the role of technology in book production and circulation, the rise of literacy, and changing reading practices and literary forms Explores a wide range of writings in multiple genres, including novels, short stories, dramas, and a variety of poetic forms, as well as autobiographies, essays, lectures, diaries, journals, letters, sermons, histories, and graphic narratives. Provides a thematic index that groups chapters by contexts and illustrates their links across different traditional chronological boundaries A Companion to American Literature is a valuable resource for students coming to the subject for the first time or preparing for field examinations, instructors in American literature courses, and scholars with more specialized interests in specific authors, genres, movements, or periods. Intro -- Table of Contents -- Volume I -- Editors -- Notes on Contributors to Volume I -- General Introduction -- Volume I: Origins to 1820 -- Volume II: 1820-1914 -- Volume III: 1914 to the Present -- Arrangement and Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction to Volume I -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chronology: Origins to 1820 -- 1 The Storyteller's Universe -- The Tests of Time, Abundance, and Expansiveness -- The Art of Storytelling -- Gender, Culture, and Language Diversified -- The (Practically) Invisible American Literature -- Constructive Questioning of Our Concepts of Literature -- Challenging Concepts of Author and Context -- Disrupting Genre Constructions -- Upending Spatial and Chronological Organizing Principles -- Challenging Notions of the Work Done by Literature -- How Should Indigenous Oral Literature Be Represented and Experienced? -- Scholarship and Literature Impacting Communities -- Conclusion -- References -- Further Reading -- 2 Cross-Cultural Encounters in Early American Literatures -- References -- Further Reading -- 3 Settlement Literatures Before and Beyond the Stories of Nations -- Elements of Discovery -- Settlement Histories -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 The Puritan Culture of Letters -- The Puritan Culture of Perception -- Puritan Spiritual Autobiographies -- Puritan Sermons -- Puritan Poetry -- Puritan Histories -- References -- Further Reading -- 5 Writing the Salem Witch Trials -- Historical Outline -- Interpretations -- The Writings of the Salem Witch Trials -- Concluding Remarks -- Acknowledgment -- References -- Further Reading -- 6 Captivity -- New English Babylon -- Mary Rowlandson et al. -- Types of Captivity -- References -- Further Reading -- 7 Africans in Early America -- Beyond the Common View -- From the Archival Margins -- Reading in the Gaps -- Decentering from the Margins A comprehensive, chronological overview of American literature in three scholarly and authoritative volumes A Companion to American Literature traces the history and development of American literature from its early origins in Native American oral tradition to 21 st century digital literature. This comprehensive three-volume set brings together contributions from a diverse international team of accomplished young scholars and established figures in the field. Contributors explore a broad range of topics in historical, cultural, political, geographic, and technological contexts, engaging the work of both well-known and non-canonical writers of every period. Volume One is an inclusive and geographically expansive examination of early American literature, applying a range of cultural and historical approaches and theoretical models to a dramatically expanded canon of texts. Volume Two covers American literature between 1820 and 1914, focusing on the development of print culture and the literary marketplace, the emergence of various literary movements, and the impact of social and historical events on writers and writings of the period. Spanning the 20 th and early 21 st centuries, Volume Three studies traditional areas of American literature as well as the literature from previously marginalized groups and contemporary writers often overlooked by scholars. This inclusive and comprehensive study of American A Companion to American Literature is a valuable resource for students coming to the subject for the first time or preparing for field examinations, instructors in American literature courses, and scholars with more specialized interests in specific authors, genres, movements, or periods. A comprehensive, chronological overview of American literature in three scholarly and authoritative volumes0A Companion to American Literature traces the history and development of American literature from its early origins in Native American oral tradition to 21st century digital literature. This comprehensive three-volume set brings together contributions from a diverse international team of accomplished young scholars and established figures in the field. Contributors explore a broad range of topics in historical, cultural, political, geographic, and technological contexts, engaging the work of both well-known and non-canonical writers of every period. Volume One is an inclusive and geographically expansive examination of early American literature, applying a range of cultural and historical approaches and theoretical models to a dramatically expanded canon of texts. Volume Two covers American literature between 1820 and 1914, focusing on the development of print culture and the literary marketplace, the emergence of various literary movements, and the impact of social and historical events on writers and writings of the period. Spanning the 20th and early 21st centuries, Volume Three studies traditional areas of American literature as well as the literature from previously marginalized groups and contemporary writers often overlooked by scholars. A Companion to American Literature is a valuable resource for students coming to the subject for the first time or preparing for field examinations, instructors in American literature courses, and scholars with more specialized interests in specific authors, genres, movements, or periods ""The test of time," an abundant literature, geographical expansiveness, artistry, and, more recently, inclusiveness represented by a complex awareness of gender and cultural diversity. These are key criteria used to determine entry into American literary canons and American literary histories. Scholars who specialize in indigenous oral literatures would doubtless claim that this literature fulfills all the criteria and thus deserves a major place in canon and history. For these readers, I could proceed directly to the main business of this chapter: an overview of how Native oral narratives, song, and ceremony have and will continue to challenge in constructive ways EuroAmerican concepts of authorship, context, genre, geographic and period designation, the functions of literature, and the importance of understanding how literature is experienced. But most American literature teachers and students have little knowledge of the magnitude and importance of the oral literatures. For these readers, it is appropriate to begin by establishing how this form of literature fulfills conventional expectations for inclusion in a twenty-first century literary history-and specifically inclusion as the grand opening entry to the narrative of our literature"-- Provided by publisher