American Literature in Context to 1865

American Literature in Context to 1865 discusses the issues and events that engaged American writers of the period, providing original and useful readings of important literary works that demonstrate how context contributes to meaning Covers a range of genres including the myths, chants and songs of indigenous cultures, sermons, slave narratives, essays and the novels and poetry to 1865 Designed to be used alongside the major anthologies of literature from the period Equips students with the necessary historical context needed to understand the writings from this period Pedagogical features include a detailed bibliography, and a transatlantic timeline, with literary works, and historical events

Susan Castillo is Harriet Beecher Stowe Professor of American Studies at King’s College London and has published extensively on colonial writing of the Early Americas, Native American writing, and on the U.S. South. Her books include The Literatures of Colonial America: An Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2001), A Companion to the Literatures of Colonial America (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), Colonial Encounters in New World Writing, 1500-1786: Performing America (2005) and American Travel Writing and Empire (2009).