Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present

Since America’s founding, the diversity of American writers has shaped its literature. Authors and poets of the past have created a colorful collection of works that are still studied today alongside contemporary works. Writing the Nation is designed to continue the preservation of famous American literary works in the minds of college students.

Readers will encounter a comprehensive collection of over seventy-five short stories, poems, and novel selections that encompass the distinct writing styles of the writers and eras. The text takes students on an academic journey of American Literature from the period of Late Romanticism to Modernism and the present. Each chapter begins with brief writer bios and includes a concise introduction to the time period and how certain societal, economical, and political factors influenced writers in that era.

Featured authors and poets include favorites such as Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, and Flannery O’Conner among many more. This anthology provides an opportunity for students to engage in extensive analysis of American works, both past and present.