Where is American Literature?

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.

Acknowledgments vii Introduction: Discovering American Literature 1 PART I Places 33 In the Eye of the Beholder 35 On the Edge 63 PART II Environments 89 In the Cloud 91 In the House 114 PART III Communities 135 At the Club 137 Under Enemy Fire 157 Conclusion: Home As Found 182 Suggested Further Reading 190 Index 199

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).

“Summing Up: Recommended.  Ambitious upper–division undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, professionals.”  ( Choice , 1 December 2013)