As Others Read Us : International Perspectives on American Literature

This collection of original essays traces the cultural impact of American literature on and in other societies. Written by authors from fifteen nations, from east to west, north and south, the essays examine not only what is studied, translated, and taught by scholars in each country but also what is read by the general public.At a time when the traditional American literary canon is undergoing a thorough reevaluation, As Others Read Us provides an important cross-cultural perspective. By examining the role of tradition, government policy, and bureaucracy in determining which texts are read and esteemed, the contributors enrich our understanding of the formation and propagation of alternative literary canons. By analyzing the influence of American literary texts on the values and aspirations of citizens from other countries, the essayists further illuminate the complex relationship between literature and politics.Though recognizable, the literary landscape that emerges in this book is in many ways astonishingly different from the one with which most Americans are familiar. While Poe, James, Faulkner, and Hemingway, for instance, loom large as major figures on a world stage, so too do Jack London and Charles Bukowski. There are other surprises as well. Who might imagine that Faulkner's South would intrigue Japanese readers, that Israeli students would have a penchant for Puritan and colonial American literature, or that the Chinese would be entranced by the writings of both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Hailey?Essay after essay in this unique collection reveals how one culture often finds reflections of itself in the historical niches of another culture's development. Traces the cultural impact of American literature on and in other societies. Written by authors from 15 nations, the essays in this book examine not only what is studied, translated and taught, but also what is read by the general public.