The United States in Literature [with three long stories] -- Seventh Edition

This seventh edition serves as a chronological survey of American letters, beginning with Captain John Smith’s colonial accounts and concluding with mid-twentieth-century dramatic works. The text categorizes literary development through distinct movements such as Puritanism, Transcendentalism, and Regionalism. It contains primary source material from founding figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson alongside the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the prose of Ernest Hemingway. Included are three complete Novellas and specific sections dedicated to the development of the short story, diverse ethnic perspectives, and the shift from romanticism to realism.

This volume is intended for students and educators seeking a comprehensive structural framework for the American literary canon. Readers gain a technical understanding of rhetorical shifts across three centuries and the historical context behind major works of fiction and non-fiction. The extensive list of contributors provides a foundation for identifying how individual stylistic innovations contributed to a collective national voice. By studying these selections, the reader acquires a clear timeline of the evolving linguistic and cultural identities that define the United States.