Romances of the Republic

Women, the Family, and Violence in the Literature of the Early American Nation

Shirley Samuels editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:7th Nov '96

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Romances of the Republic cover

Samuels looks at the relations among sexual, political, and familial rhetoric in American writing from 1790 to the 1850s. With a special focus on the depictions of the American Revolution and the use of the family as model and instrument of political forces, she examines how the historical novel formalizes some of the more extravagant features of the gothic novel while incorporating a sentimental vision of the family.

Samuels's reinterpretation of early American culture will awaken new interest and spark new ideas for anyone interested in this period, regardless of their disciplinary, theoretical, or ideological perspectives. Her striking thesis and fresh, penetrating readings will challenge established assumptions and generate lively and productive debates. Her splendid book will set a new agenda for early American studies. * Emory Elliott, University of California, Los Angeles and author of Revolutionary Writers: Literature and Authority in the New Republic, 1725-1810 (OUP 1986) *

ISBN: 9780195079883

Dimensions: 164mm x 244mm x 22mm

Weight: 490g

208 pages