The Origins of American Literature Studies: An Institutional History (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture, Series Number 154) - Hardcover

Renker, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521883458 ISBN 13: 9780521883450

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007

Synopsis

Although American literature is a standard subject in the American college curriculum, a century ago few people thought it should be taught there. Elizabeth Renker uncovers the complex historical process through which American literature overcame its image of aesthetic and historical inferiority to become an important field for academic study and research. Renker's extensive original archival research focuses on four institutions of higher education serving distinct regional, class, race and gender populations. She argues that American literature's inferior image arose from its affiliation with non-elite schools, teachers and students, and that it had to overcome this social identity in order to achieve status as serious knowledge. Renker's revisionary analysis is an important contribution to the intellectual history of the United States and will be of interest to anyone studying, teaching or researching American literature.

About this title

Book Description:

Elizabeth Renker uncovers the complex historical process through which American literature overcame its image of inferiority to become an important academic field. Renker's revisionary analysis is an important contribution to the intellectual history of the United States and will be of interest to anyone studying, teaching or researching American literature.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Renker is Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0521883458
• ISBN 13: 9780521883450
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232