The crossroads of American history and literature
By: Philip F. Gura.
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: University Park
Language: eng
Number of pages: 286
Subjects: American literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism.; Literature and history -- United States -- History.; American literature -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- History and criticism.; National characteristics, American, in literature.; Historicism.; United States -- Intellectual life -- Historiography.; United States -- Civilization -- Historiography.
Description: The Crossroads of American History and Literature collects two decades' worth of the best-known essays of Philip F. Gura. Beginning with a definitive overview of studies of colonial literature, Gura ranges through such subjects in colonial American history as the intellectual life of the Connecticut River Valley, Cotton Mather's understanding of political leadership, and the religious upheavals of the Great Awakening.

In the nineteenth century, he visits such varied topics as the history of print culture in rural communities, the philological interests of the Transcendentalist Elizabeth Peabody, the craft and business of the early American music trades, and Thoreau's interest in exploration literature and in the Native American.

Displaying remarkable sophistication in a variety of fields that, taken together, constitute the heart of American Studies, this collection illustrates the complexity of American cultural history.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.