[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-317958-105":59,"doc-detail-317958-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","a-brief-history-of-american-literature-preface-and-contents","A Brief History of American Literature - Preface and Contents","","A Brief History of American Literature by Richard Gray provides a coherent narrative of American literary development across major historical periods. It addresses how American authors and texts register cultural plurality, the invention of communities, and the imagining of nations from the colonial and revolutionary era through modernism and post-1945 writing. The book balances widely recognized authors with less central or noncanonical writers to reflect significant literary and cultural trends, presenting major achievements and the distinctive diversity of American literary tradition.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-brief-history-of-american-literature-preface-and-contents/317958/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-brief-history-of-american-literature-preface-and-contents/317958.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Anda","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What scope and purpose does Richard Gray describe for this history of American literature?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The author aims to track major changes in the field over the past thirty years while emphasizing the plurality of American culture and writing. The focus is on significant, representative writers and texts, alongside less central authors that help capture broader literary and cultural trends.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How is the book organized across historical periods?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"It is structured into five main chapters covering the colonial and revolutionary era, the making of American literature from 1800–1865, developments from 1865–1900, modern American literature from 1900–1945, and American literature since 1945.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"Does the book include authors beyond the most canonical writers?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Yes. In addition to major authors and their most important or representative works, the book considers less central or canonical writers whose work helps illustrate key literary or cultural developments and supports understanding the full scope of American literature.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},317958,1790048782,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":145,"read_time":146},962075006959,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/e0002397efbe92a78e?_k=1776741047341049297","A Brief History of American Literature  \nA Brief History of American Literature Richard Gray  \n© 2011 Richard Gray. ISBN: 978-1-405-19231-6  \nA Brief History of American Literature  \nRichard Gray  \nThis edition first published 2011  \n􀀁 2011 Richard Gray  \nBlackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007 . Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.  \nRegistered Office  \nJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom  \nEditorial Offices  \n350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK  \nThe Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK  \nFor details ofour global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website [at www.wiley.com/wiley](at www.wiley.com/wiley)blackwell.  \nThe right of Richard Gray to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 .  \nAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.  \nWiley also publishes its books ina variety ofelectronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.  \nDesignations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks oftheir respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. Ifprofessional advice or other expert assistance is required, the servicesofa competent professional should be sought.  \nLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gray, Richard J.  \nA brief history of American literature / Richard Gray.  \n[p. cm](p. cm).  \nIncludes bibliographical references and index.  \nISBN 978-1-4051-9231-6 (alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4051-9230-9 (pbk.: alk. paper)  \n1. American literature—History and criticism. 2. United States—Literatures—History and criticism.  \nI. Title.  \nPS88.G726 2011  \n810.9–dc22  \n2010035339  \nA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.  \nThis book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDFs 978-1-4443-9245-6; ePub 978-1-4443-9246-3  \nSet in 10/12.5 pt Galiard by Thomson Digital, Noida, India  \nTo Sheona  \nContents  \nPreface and Acknowledgments ix  \n1 The First Americans: American Literature During the Colonial  \nand Revolutionary Periods 1  \nImagining Eden 1  \nWriting of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods 1  \n2 Inventing Americas: The Making of American Literature 1800–1865 47  \nMaking a Nation 47  \nThe Making of American Myths 47  \nThe Making of American Selves 59  \nThe Making of Many Americas 71  \nThe Making of an American Fiction and Poetry 90  \n3 Reconstructing the Past, Reimagining the Future: The Development of American Literature 1865–1900 115  \nRebuilding a Nation 115  \nThe Development of Literary Regionalisms 115  \nThe Development of Literary Realism and Naturalism 130  \nThe Development of Women’s Writing 143  \nThe Development of Many Americas 148  \n4 Making It New: The Emergence of Modern American  \nLiterature 1900–1945 159  \nChanging National Identities 159  \nBetween Victorianism and Modernism 159  \nThe Inventions of Modernism 176  \nTraditionalism, Politics, and Prophecy 211  \nCommu","cbCaisyBjIIVjOqo","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisyBjIIVjOqo","pdf",7840699,417,"English","# Preface and Acknowledgments\n# 1 The First Americans: American Literature During the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods\n## Imagining Eden\n## Writing of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods\n# 2 Inventing Americas: The Making of American Literature 1800–1865\n## Making a Nation\n## The Making of American Myths\n## The Making of American Selves\n## The Making of Many Americas\n## The Making of an American Fiction and Poetry\n# 3 Reconstructing the Past, Reimagining the Future: The Development of American Literature 1865–1900\n## Rebuilding a Nation\n## The Development of Literary Regionalisms\n## The Development of Literary Realism and Naturalism\n## The Development of Women’s Writing\n## The Development of Many Americas\n# 4 Making It New: The Emergence of Modern American Literature 1900–1945\n## Changing National Identities\n## Between Victorianism and Modernism\n## The Inventions of Modernism\n## Traditionalism, Politics, and Prophecy\n## Community and Identity\n## Mass Culture and the Writer\n# 5 Negotiating the American Century: American Literature since 1945\n## Towards a Transnational Nation\n## Formalists and Confessionals\n## Public and Private Histories\n## Beats, Prophets, and Aesthetes\n## The Art and Politics of Race\n## Realism and Its Discontents\n## Language and Genre\n## Creating New Americas\n# Index","[{\"question\":\"What scope and purpose does Richard Gray describe for this history of American literature?\",\"answer\":\"The author aims to track major changes in the field over the past thirty years while emphasizing the plurality of American culture and writing. The focus is on significant, representative writers and texts, alongside less central authors that help capture broader literary and cultural trends.\"},{\"question\":\"How is the book organized across historical periods?\",\"answer\":\"It is structured into five main chapters covering the colonial and revolutionary era, the making of American literature from 1800–1865, developments from 1865–1900, modern American literature from 1900–1945, and American literature since 1945.\"},{\"question\":\"Does the book include authors beyond the most canonical writers?\",\"answer\":\"Yes. In addition to major authors and their most important or representative works, the book considers less central or canonical writers whose work helps illustrate key literary or cultural developments and supports understanding the full scope of American literature.\"}]","A Brief History of American Literature - Preface and Contents | PDF",1789939125,642]