European revolutions and the American literary Renaissance / Larry J. Reynolds.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reynolds, Larry J. (Larry John), 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--19th century--History and criticism.

American literature.

American literature--European influences.

Literature and revolutions.

History.

Revolutionary literature, American.

Europe--In literature.

Europe.

Revolutions in literature.

Revolutionary literature, American--History and criticism.

Literature and revolutions--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

xiv, 207 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, [1988]

Summary:

Political issues andevents have always acted as a catalyst on thought and art. Inthis pioneering study, Larry J. Reynolds argues that the European revolutions of 1848-49 quickened the American literary imagination and shaped the characters, plots, and themes of the American renaissance. He traces the impact of the revolutions on Emerson, Fuller, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, and Thoreau, showing that the upheavals abroad both inspired and disturbed. "Extraordinarily well informed and creative treatment of the influences of the 1848-49 European revolutions on writers of the American Renaissance. . . . The book is especially effective in providing a historical context for reading major writings. It demonstrates influences at work at a number of levels and presents historical narrative and subtle readings of literary texts with equal clarity. Highly recommended."- Choice

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages 175-199.

ISBN:

0300042426

OCLC:

17649890