Concise Anthology of American Literature [Paperback]

George McMichael (Author), J.C. Levenson (Author), Leo Marx (Author), David E. Smith (Author), Mae Miller Claxton (Author), Susan Bunn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130289418 | ISBN-13: 978-0130289414 | Publication Date: November 21, 2000 | Edition: 5th

This book contains selections from Volumes I and II of the Anthology of American Literature, Seventh Edition. Carefully selected works introduce readers to America's literary heritage, from the colonial times of William Bradford and Anne Bradstreet to the contemporary era of Saul Bellow and Toni Morrison. It provides a wealth of additional contextual information surrounding the readings as well as the authors themselves. An expanded chronological chart and interaction time line help readers associate literary works with historical, political, technological, and cultural developments. Other coverage includes a continued emphasis on cultural plurality, including the contributions to the American literary canon made by women and minority authors, and a reflection of the changing nature of the canon of American Literature. For anyone who likes to read the writings of American Literature—and wants to understand the connection between those words and their place in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This Anthology contains selections from Volumes I and II of the Anthology of American Liteature, Fifth Edition. Some long Works have been excerpted for inclusion in the Concise Anthology. They include Franklin's Autobiography, Thoreau's Walden, and Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The following selections are included in the Concise Anthology but not in the two-volume set: "The Jolly Corner" by Henry James, "Neg Creol" by Kate Chopin, "The Blue Hotel" by Stephen Crane, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

This book contains selections from Volumes I and II of the Anthology of American Literature, Seventh Edition. Carefully selected works introduce readers to America's literary heritage, from the colonial times of William Bradford and Anne Bradstreet to the contemporary era of Saul Bellow and Toni Morrison. It provides a wealth of additional contextual information surrounding the readings as well as the authors themselves. An expanded chronological chart and interaction time line help readers associate literary works with historical, political, technological, and cultural developments. Other coverage includes a continued emphasis on cultural plurality, including the contributions to the American literary canon made by women and minority authors, and a reflection of the changing nature of the canon of American Literature. For anyone who likes to read the writings of American Literature—and wants to understand the connection between those words and their place in American history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 2432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5th edition (November 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130289418
• ISBN-13: 978-0130289414
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good anthology, November 28, 2002

By 

bixodoido (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concise Anthology of American Literature (Paperback)

Let's face it, most people won't be buying this volume by choice--they'll buy it for a class. Still, it's good to know what you're getting into. This is a pretty good anthology of American literature, starting all the way back with Native American myths and Columbus's journals and continuing through Puritan, Enlightenment, Transcendentalist, Romantic, and modern periods of literature in America.

The introductions to the pieces are good--as good or better than Norton's--and the selections themselves are generally good. Still, though, there are a few notable things missing, but that is to be expected in any compendium, I suppose.

One of the highlights of this volume is the full reprints of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. If you have to buy this book, it should be useful and may even be worth keeping around after the class is over. I know I'm going to keep mine.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, July 7, 2011

By 

Brown Bear - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Concise Anthology of American Literature (Paperback)

Bought this book for a class that required the next edition up but it worked well for me and provided most of what I needed. What it didn't provide, which was very little, were provided through the class anyway. Glad I saved my money by purchasing this later edition.It also contains some interesting tidbits about past authors and some good old works that I enjoyed reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for College, March 20, 2009

By 

Paulmichael Contreras (Southern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Concise Anthology of American Literature (Paperback)

This book definitely delivers what it promises. There are a number of key short stories, poems and other piece of work from some of the most influential authors in American history. It also includes background information of a given period in time, as well as introductions on each author. There are also key terms or phrases explained within the text, since some portions of a given work of literature may be confusing using today's language.