The Wadsworth Themes American Literature Series, 1800-1865 Theme 8: Views on War [Paperback]

Jay Parini (Author), Shirley Samuels (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1428262431 | ISBN-13: 978-1428262430 | Publication Date: June 12, 2008 | Edition: 1

The first thematic series published for American literature, THE WADSWORTH THEMES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE SERIES is currently comprised of 21 themes spanning the time period normally covered in the two-semester American literature survey course--1492 to the present. Each carefully edited booklet centers on a core issue of the period with attention given to the development of key themes. Each thematic booklet offers an introductory contextual essay, a variety of literary perspectives, headnotes and footnotes, along with a variety of visual elements. Shirley Samuels--a Professor of English and American Studies who also chairs the History of Art and Visual Studies Department at Cornell--has established herself as a major voice in the field of nineteenth-century American literature and culture. In the second sequence of booklets, Samuels looks at the early days of the American republic, a period stretching from 1800-1865, taking us through the Civil War. This was a period of huge expansion as well as consolidation. The question of identity arose on different fronts, and we see the beginnings of the women's movement in the nineteenth century. Racial questions came into focus during this era, too, and the groundwork for the Civil War is unhappily laid. A range of inspiring and heart-rending texts from a time of bloodshed, hatred, and immense idealism concludes the thematic sequence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 68 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (June 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1428262431
• ISBN-13: 978-1428262430
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,051,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shirley Samuels currently chairs the History of Art Department at Cornell University. She teaches the literature, history, and visual culture of the United States through her work with programs in English, Visual Studies, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and American Studies. Her research and teaching focus on art, literature, politics, and culture in the 18th, 19th, and 20th century United States. Her books include Facing America: Iconography and the Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2004); Companion to American Fiction, 1780-1865 (editor) (Blackwell, 2004); Romances of the Republic: Women, the Family, and Violence in the Literature of the Early American Nation (Oxford University Press, 1996); and The Culture of Sentiment: Race, Gender, and Sentimentality in Nineteenth-Century America (editor) (Oxford University Press, 1992). Forthcoming books include the Cambridge Companion to Abraham Lincoln (2011) and Reading the American Novel, 1790-1865 (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012). Shirley Samuels received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to Cornell, she has taught at Princeton University, Brandeis University, and the University of Delaware.