The Cambridge History of American Literature, Vol. 1: 1590-1820 (The Cambridge History of American Literature)

The Cambridge History of American Literature addresses the spectrum of new and established directions in American writing. An interdisciplinary distillation of American literary history, it weds the voice of traditional criticism with the diversity of interests that characterize contemporary literary studies. Volume 1 covers the colonial and early national periods, discussing authors ranging from Renaissance explorers to the poets and novelists of the new republic. It should prove an indispensable guide for scholars and students in the fields of English and American literatures and American history. Cover......Page 1 Frontmatter......Page 2 THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE Volume I: 1590-1820......Page 4 CONTENTS......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 10 Introduction......Page 18 THE LITERATURE OF COLONIZATION......Page 28 1 The Papers of Empire......Page 30 2 The Natural Inhabitants......Page 54 3 Three Writers of Early America......Page 76 4 Settlements......Page 101 5 The Dispute of the New World......Page 126 6 Traveling in America......Page 143 7 The Final Voyage......Page 166 NEW ENGLAND PURITAN LITERATURE......Page 186 1 The Language of Salem Witchcraft......Page 188 2 The Dream of a Christian Utopia......Page 200 3 Personal Narrative and History......Page 222 4 Poetry......Page 243 5 The Jeremiad......Page 272 6 Reason and Revivalism......Page 296 BRITISH-AMERICAN BELLES LETTRES......Page 324 1 British-American Belles Lettres......Page 326 1 Finding the Revolution......Page 362 2 What is Enlightenment......Page 385 3 Religious Voices......Page 407 4 Writing the Revolution......Page 443 5 The Literature of Public Documents......Page 487 6 The Limits of Enlightenment......Page 513 THE LITERATURE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL PERIODS......Page 556 1 Letters of the Early Republic......Page 558 2 Magazines, Criticism, and Essays......Page 575 3 The Drama......Page 590 4 Poetry......Page 608 5 The Novel......Page 637 6 Charles Brockden Brown......Page 661 7 Washington Irving......Page 678 8 James Fenimore Cooper......Page 693 CHRONOLOGY 159O— 1820......Page 712 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 784 Cover 1 Frontmatter 2 THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE Volume I: 1590-1820 4 CONTENTS 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 Introduction 18 THE LITERATURE OF COLONIZATION 28 1 The Papers of Empire 30 2 The Natural Inhabitants 54 3 Three Writers of Early America 76 4 Settlements 101 5 The Dispute of the New World 126 6 Traveling in America 143 7 The Final Voyage 166 NEW ENGLAND PURITAN LITERATURE 186 1 The Language of Salem Witchcraft 188 2 The Dream of a Christian Utopia 200 3 Personal Narrative and History 222 4 Poetry 243 5 The Jeremiad 272 6 Reason and Revivalism 296 BRITISH-AMERICAN BELLES LETTRES 324 1 British-American Belles Lettres 326 THE AMERICAN ENLIGHTENMENT, 175O— l82O 362 1 Finding the Revolution 362 2 What is Enlightenment 385 3 Religious Voices 407 4 Writing the Revolution 443 5 The Literature of Public Documents 487 6 The Limits of Enlightenment 513 THE LITERATURE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL PERIODS 556 1 Letters of the Early Republic 558 2 Magazines, Criticism, and Essays 575 3 The Drama 590 4 Poetry 608 5 The Novel 637 6 Charles Brockden Brown 661 7 Washington Irving 678 8 James Fenimore Cooper 693 CHRONOLOGY 159O— 1820 712 BIBLIOGRAPHY 784 0521585716,9780521585712,052130105X,9780521301053 Cambridge University Press Volume I of The Cambridge History of American Literature was originally published in 1997, and covers the colonial and early national periods and discusses the work of a diverse assemblage of authors, from Renaissance explorers and Puritan theocrats to Revolutionary pamphleteers and poets and novelists of the new republic. Addressing those characteristics that render the texts distinctively American while placing the literature in an international perspective, the contributors offer a compelling new evaluation of both the literary importance of early American history and the historical value of early American literature

The Cambridge History of American Literature addresses the spectrum of changing directions in American writing; volume I covers the colonial and early national periods, and will be an indispensable guide for scholars and advanced students.

The first volume of a comprehensive history of American literature covers the colonial and early national periods, discussing authors ranging from Renaissance explorers to the poets and novelists of the new republic v. 1. 1590-1820 v. 2. 1820-1865 v. 4. Nineteenth-century poetry, 1800-1910 v. 5. Poetry and criticism, 1900-1950 v. 6. Prose writing, 1910-1950 v. 7. Prose writing, 1940-1990 ON THE EVE of leaving the known world to circle the globe in quest of an empire, Christopher Columbus decided to write a book. Discusses the social, cultural, intellectual, and aesthetic aspects of American literature