American Literature as World Literature (Literatures as World Literature)

"For better or worse, America lives in the age of "worlded" literature. Not the world literature of nations and nationalities considered from most powerful and wealthy to the least. And not the world literature found with a map. Rather, the worlded literature of individuals crossing borders, mixing stories, and speaking in dialect. Where translation struggles to be effective and background is itself another story. The "worlded" literature of the multinational corporate publishing industry where the global market is all. The essays in this collection, from some of the most distinguished figures in American studies and literature, explore what it means to consider American literature as world literature."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Series......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Epigraph......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Part One World, Worldings, Worldliness......Page 38 1 American Literature and Its Shadow Worlds: Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Specters of Worldliness......Page 40 Notes......Page 53 Works cited......Page 57 2 Worldings of American Literature off the Cultural Radar......Page 60 Notes......Page 71 Works cited......Page 73 3 Who Needs American Literature?: From Emerson to Marcus and Sollors......Page 76 A nation without literature......Page 81 A nation with too much literature......Page 85 Conclusion......Page 90 Notes......Page 92 Works cited......Page 95 Part Two Literature, Geopolitics, Globalization......Page 98 4 Worlds of Americana......Page 100 Works cited......Page 115 5 Political Serials: Tanner ‘88 to House of Cards......Page 118 Notes......Page 134 Works cited......Page 136 6 Weltliterature? American Literature after Territorialism: Manifesto for a Twenty-First-Century Critical Agenda......Page 138 Notes......Page 156 Works cited......Page 157 7 Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy in American World Literature......Page 160 Notes......Page 170 Works cited......Page 172 Part Three Experience, Poetics, New Worlds......Page 176 Historical poetry and the future of a people......Page 178 Democracy, literary, and otherwise......Page 183 Political plurivocity: From the aesthetics of equality to imperialist poetics......Page 187 Notes......Page 191 Works cited......Page 196 9 Experience to Experiment, Signs to Signals: Toward Flusser’s New World......Page 198 Notes......Page 215 Works cited......Page 218 10 Un-Making American Literature: Mind-Making Fictions of the Literary......Page 220 Notes......Page 232 Works cited......Page 233 Part Four History and the American Novel......Page 236 11 Last American Stories and Their Adventurous Sequels......Page 238 Notes......Page 251 Works cited......Page 253 12 Transhuman Poetics and American World Literature: James Baldwin’s Demon of History in Just Above My Head......Page 256 Works cited......Page 266 13 The Pathos of History: : Trauma in Siri Hustvedt’s The Sorrows of an American......Page 268 Trauma: The debate......Page 271 Either/Or......Page 274 Secrets and the truth of fiction......Page 276 Notes......Page 281 Works cited......Page 283 Notes on Contributors......Page 284 Index......Page 288 Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Epigraph 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Part One World, Worldings, Worldliness 38 1 American Literature and Its Shadow Worlds: Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Specters of Worldliness 40 Notes 53 Works cited 57 2 Worldings of American Literature off the Cultural Radar 60 Notes 71 Works cited 73 3 Who Needs American Literature?: From Emerson to Marcus and Sollors 76 A nation without literature 81 A nation with too much literature 85 Conclusion 90 Notes 92 Works cited 95 Part Two Literature, Geopolitics, Globalization 98 4 Worlds of Americana 100 Notes 115 Works cited 115 5 Political Serials: Tanner ‘88 to House of Cards 118 Notes 134 Works cited 136 6 Weltliterature? American Literature after Territorialism: Manifesto for a Twenty-First-Century Critical Agenda 138 Notes 156 Works cited 157 7 Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis Trilogy in American World Literature 160 Notes 170 Works cited 172 Part Three Experience, Poetics, New Worlds 176 8 Whitman’s Polyvocal Poetic Revolution: Equality and Empire in New World Literature 178 Historical poetry and the future of a people 178 Democracy, literary, and otherwise 183 Political plurivocity: From the aesthetics of equality to imperialist poetics 187 Notes 191 Works cited 196 9 Experience to Experiment, Signs to Signals: Toward Flusser’s New World 198 Notes 215 Works cited 218 10 Un-Making American Literature: Mind-Making Fictions of the Literary 220 Notes 232 Works cited 233 Part Four History and the American Novel 236 11 Last American Stories and Their Adventurous Sequels 238 Notes 251 Works cited 253 12 Transhuman Poetics and American World Literature: James Baldwin’s Demon of History in Just Above My Head 256 Notes 266 Works cited 266 13 The Pathos of History: : Trauma in Siri Hustvedt’s The Sorrows of an American 268 Trauma: The debate 271 Either/Or 274 Secrets and the truth of fiction 276 Notes 281 Works cited 283 Notes on Contributors 284 Index 288