Broader in scope than any previous literary study of the transcendentalists, this rewarding book analyzes the theories and forms characteristic of a vital group of American writers, as well as…

The first book in many years to take in the full sweep of national fiction, The Dream of the Great American Novel explains why this supposedly antiquated idea continues to…

In a globalizing age, studying American literature in isolation from the rest of the world seems less and less justified. But is the conceptual box of the nation dispensable? And…

A turtle slowly paddles along the Amazon River. Suddenly, something from beneath the water bumps the turtle. The little reptile tries to swim faster. Then another bump–and, suddenly, the huge…