The Cambridge History of American Literature: Volume 1, 1590–1820

Volume I covers the colonial and early national periods and discusses the work of a diverse assemblage of authors, from Renaissance explorers and Puritan theocrats to Revolutionary pamphleteers and poets and novelists of the new republic. Addressing those characteristics that render the texts distinctively American while placing the literature in an international perspective, the contributors offer a compelling new evaluation of both the literary importance of early American history and the historical value of early American literature.

• First large-scale, multi-volume History of American Literature • Authoritative and interdisciplinary coverage by stellar cast of scholars • Edited by Sacvan Bercovitch, pre-eminent scholar in American literature • A landmark reference work with lasting relevance for the fields of English and American literatures and American history, it should prove an indispensable guide for scholars and advanced students

Acknowledgments; Introduction; The literature of colonisation Myra Jehlen; New England puritan literature Emory Elliott; British-American belles lettres David S. Shields; The American enlightenement 1750–1820 Robert A. Ferguson; The literature of the revolutionary and early national periods Michael T. Gilmore; chronology; Bibliography; Index.

\'… this is, without doubt and without any serious rival, the scholarly history for our generation.\' Journal of American Studies

‘… vast and eminently readable survey of twentieth century American literature …’. Use of English