“The idea of viewing US literature spatially rather than chronologically or thematically is daringly innovative and utterly convincing.”
—Richard Gray, University of Essex
“Where Is American Literature? is an engaging read that will stir debate and discussion. The depth of its challenge does not stop in asking us to reconsider the field: it also invites us to examine where we are when we take up the subject of American literature. This reexamination of our motives and investments can change the professional and political positions that readers see themselves inhabiting. Difficult work in some cases, to be sure. Lucky for us, then, that Levander has made this pursuit so energetic and enlivening.”
—Russ Castronovo, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Written in a lively, conversational tone, this is that rare work of criticism that manages to be at once illuminating and pleasurable to read. Where is American Literature? is bound to become a regular on course syllabi, but also a go-to book for curious readers seeking to educate themselves about the state of American literary studies today.”
—Rachel Adams, Columbia University
From the Inside Flap
What is American literature’s purpose, and does it continue to have enduring value? Where is American Literature? offers a spirited and compelling argument for rethinking the way we view American literature in relation to arguably the most muscular and robust nation on the world stage over the past 100 years, and demonstrates why we still need it.
Levander challenges the very idea of American literature, placing it in a globalized context, and even subtly undermining the notion of the author. Refusing to speak of American Literature as a body of work, Levander instead sees the genre as a varied and unrelated assortment of multilingual forms, ranging from instruction manuals and Twitter feed to novels and poetry. The original – and at times irreverent – perspectives will change the way we consider American Literature in the future, while offering all of us a better, deeper, and more enlightened understanding of why American literature continues to matter.
About the Author
Caroline F. Levander is the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Carlson Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of English at Rice University. Levander is author of, amongst others, Voices of the Nation: Women and Public Speech in Nineteenth-Century American Culture and Literature (Cambridge University Press, 1998, paperback reprint 2009), and Cradle of Liberty: Race, the Child and National Belonging from Thomas Jefferson to W.E.B. Du Bois (Duke University Press, 2006).
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