A Companion to American Fiction 1780-1865

A Companion to American Fiction 1780-1865 presents the current state of criticism in the field of American fiction from the earliest declarations of nationhood to secession and civil war. The volume brings together contributions from over 35 leading international critics and scholars, who draw heavily on historical and cultural contexts in their discussions of the fiction of this period. The Companion covers both canonical authors, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and less well-known writers. The contributors demonstrate how the works of these authors relate to conflicts about territory and sovereignty in the early American republic, and to issues of gender, race, ethnicity and identity. Their contributions cover different forms of fiction, from children’s literature and polemical pieces, to historical romances and novels of exploration. They also treat neglected topics, such as the Western novel, science and the novel, and American fiction in languages other than English.