This is a massive book, over 800 pages of text. I bought it because although I have read a fair amount of American literature there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge. In particular I had an interest in twentieth century poetry and also I was curious to know what a fresh look at literature could tell me about the development of the USA as a country over the last two hundred years. I am not an academic and have not studied...
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A very easily read book. Gives a very detailed, interesting and sensible insight. A monumental work covering not only purely literary theoretical points, but as well cultural and historical guidelines. One gets a feeling that the author has spent his entrie life on writing of this work.
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Wow! This is one massive reference book. Mr. Gray, the author, traces American lit from pre-Columbian and colonial days to the start of the 21st century, and he does justice to almost the whole range of our diverse and multicultural literatures. And yes, that's literatures, plural, as the author so ably demonstrates the case to actually be. Not only does he thoroughly and concisely cover the "canon" of mainstream lit,...
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