Beneath the American Renaissance

By David S. Reynolds

Subjects: Social problems in literature, Volkskultur, Popular literature, Problèmes sociaux dans la littérature, Sensacionalismo en la literatura, Femmes dans la littérature, Littérature américaine, Sensationnalisme dans la littérature, Littérature et société, Letterkunde, Histoire, Geschichte, Social norms in literature, Contemporains, Literatura norte-americana (história e crítica), Sensationalism in literature, Literatura popular, Paralittérature, Women in literature, Radicalism in literature, Literatur, Reform in literature, Umschulungswerkstätten für Siedler und Auswanderer, Contemporaries, History and criticism, Problemas sociales en la literatura, New England Renaissance, Histoire et critique, American literature, Historia, Historia y crítica, Mujeres en la literatura, History, Literature and society, American literature, history and criticism, 19th century, Literatura y sociedad

Description: In this landmark work, the seven great writers of the American Renaissance--Emerson, Thoreau, Writman, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, and Dickinson -- are examined together in their cultural contexts. David Reynolds reveals how these authors broadly assimilated the themes and images of popular culture. Their classic works -- among them Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter, Leaves of Grass, Walden, and the tales of Poe -- are given strikingly original reading when viewed against the rich, often startling background of long neglected popular writings of the time. Reynolds also explores a whole lost world of sensational literature, including grisly novels, openly sold on the street, that combined intense violence with explicit eroticism. He demonstrates as well how common concerns with issues of religion, slavery, and workers' (as well as women's) rights resonate in the major writings. - Publisher.