Covers, Titles, and Tables: the Formations of American Literary Canons
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The American "canon wars" raged during the 1980s. These wars pitted critics who wanted to conserve the established canon of works -- the "classics" -- against those who argued for a more "representative" canon, including more women and "minority" authors and a more diverse genre mix. Spirited skirmishes continue today in literature classes, libraries, bookstores, publishing houses, board of education meetings, and even in political debates. Though these debates may seem to be late 20th- early 21st-century phenomena, heated discussions about which works of American literature should be studied and passed on to the next generation have raged since at least the early 19th century.
Our collection of more than 100 tables of contents-- supplemented by selected covers and prefaces-- reproduced from anthologies and selected histories offers a convenient window to the history of literary canon formation in the United States from 1829 to the present. We hope that the collection will benefit scholars, teachers, and students of American literature and culture, as well as academic administrators, librarians, book dealers, publishers, members of boards of education, politicians, and anyone curious about how American arbiters of culture attempt to profile America by gathering, organizing, and defining selections from our literary heritage.
Recent Submissions
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America in Literature Vol. I
(John Wiley & SonsDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1978) -
Anthology of American Literature, Volume II: Realism to the Present
(Prentice HallDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2000) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 11th Ed., Shorter ed.
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2007) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 10th ed., Shorter ed.
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2002) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 9th ed., Shorter ed.
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1999) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 6th Ed., Shorter Ed.
(Random HouseDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1985) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 7th Ed., Volume 1
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1990) -
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition, Vol. E
(W. W. Norton & Company, 2012) -
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition, Vol. D
(W. W. Norton & CompanyDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2012) -
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition, Vol. C
(W. W. Norton & CompanyDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2012) -
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 5th Edition, Vol. 2
(W. W. Norton & CompanyDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1998) -
America in Literature Vol. II
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Department of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1978) -
Anthology of American Literature, Volume II: Realism to the Present
(Macmillan Publishing CompanyDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1989) -
Anthology of American Literature, Volume I: Colonial Through Romantic
(Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.Department of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 1980) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 10th Ed., Volume 2
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas at Arlington, 2002) -
The American Tradition in Literature, 10th Ed., Volume 1
(McGraw HillDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas Arlington, 2002) -
The Bedford Anthology of American Literature, Vol.1: Beginnings to 1865
Prepared by recognized scholars and devoted teachers, The Bedford Anthology of American Literature brings the canon of American literature down to a manageable size. Half the length of other leading anthologies, and offered ... -
The Bedford Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 2: 1865 to the Present
(Bedford/ St. MartinDepartment of EnglishUniversity of Texas Arlington, 2008)Prepared by recognized scholars and devoted teachers, The Bedford Anthology of American Literature brings the canon of American literature down to a manageable size. Half the length of other leading anthologies, and offered ...