American Literature in Transition, 1851–1877

This book provides a fresh, revisionary account of American literature before, during, and after the Civil War.

This is a new account of the literary and cultural history of the Civil War era. It offers scholarly histories of the major authors, texts, forms, and movements that comprised American literature between 1851 and 1877. The approaches used in the volume reflect the most up-to-date and cutting-edge research methods of American literary studies.Between 1851 and 1877, the U.S. underwent a whirlwind of change. This volume offers a fresh account of this important era, assessing the many developments - both major and minor - that transformed American literature. In a wide range of chapters, scholars re-examine literary history before, during, and after the Civil War, revealing significant changes not only in how literature is written but also in how it is conceived, distributed, and consumed. Cutting across literary periods that are typically considered separate and distinct, and incorporating an array of methods and approaches, this volume discloses the Long Civil War to be an era of ongoing struggle and cultural contestation. It thus captures the dynamism of this period in American literary history as well as its ever-evolving field of study.