A vivid snapshot of America's kaleidoscopic literary tradition, A Journey Through American Literature illuminates the authors, works, and events that have shaped our cultural heritage. Kevin J. Hayes charts this history through a series of approachable thematic chapters--Narrative Voice and the Short Story, the Drama of the Everyday, the Great American Novel--that reveal the richness of our literature while providing a compelling set of footholds with which to engage it. Among the topics covered are the role of travel and the symbolism of geography, characters and the importance of voice and dialect, self-definition and the American dream, new beginnings, and the role of memory. Hayes not only discusses the main canonical genres like poetry, drama, and the novel, but also looks at travel writing, autobiography, and frame tales. Key writers like Mark Twain, Ralph Ellison, Emily Dickinson, and Harriet Jacobs are central players in the drama while dozens more create a backdrop that gives this history depth. The book also features over 20 illustrations, a bibliography, and a chronology listing the key events and work in America's literary history.
About the AuthorKevin J. Hayes is Professor of English at the University of Central Oklahoma and the author of The Road to Monticello.
ReviewsA reflective and mature reader and writer, Hayes adopts an unhurried yet quietly authoritative persona as he meanders through the rich experiments of American literature. Valuing concision and clarity, he offers reasonable, clear critical assessments his canvas is comprehensive ... Recommended * M. J. McDonough, Monroe Community College, CHOICE *
Book InformationISBN 9780199862061
Author Kevin J. HayesFormat Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press IncPublisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 272g
Dimensions(mm) 137mm * 208mm * 15mm