Writing the American Classics

By: James Barbour, Tom Quirk

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Paperback | 1 May 1990

At a Glance

Paperback
304 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.88 x 1.91

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This collection of essays describes the genesis of ten classic works of American literature. Using biographical, cultural, and manuscript evidence, the contributors tell the "stories of stories," plotting the often curious and always interesting ways in which notable American books took shape in a writer's mind.

The genetic approach taken in these essays derives from a curiosity, and sometimes a feeling of awe, about how a work of literature came to exist -- what motivated its creation, informed its vision, urged its completion. It is just that sort of wonder that first brings some people to love writers and their books.

Originally published in 1990.

A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Industry Reviews

"A terrific collection of essays that I shall recommend to colleagues and students, especially of the American novel. It modestly puts to rest the fantasy that only post-structuralist theory has anything important and engaging to say about literature. "Writing the American Classics" is more than a renewal of genetic criticism; it is the barometer of a new critical climate."--Norman S. Grabo, University of Tulsa The first modern edition of the writings of this legendary figure. 'Insure[s] that Smith will remain familiar to American schoolchildren and, what is more important, that an accurate version of his writings will be accessible to scholars and the general public."--"New York Times Book Review"

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Introduction	p. ix
Lockean Realities and Olympian Perspectives: The Writing of Franklin's Autobiography	p. 1
"All My Books Are Botches": Melville's Struggle with The Whale	p. 25
The Remaking of Walden	p. 53
Nobility out of Tatters: The Writing of Huckleberry Finn	p. 79
The Composition of The Professor's House	p. 106
Hemingway's Greatest Iceberg: The Composition of The Sun Also Rises	p. 125
A "Matchless Time": Faulkner and the Writing of The Sound and the Fury	p. 156
A Short History of Tender Is the Night	p. 177
How Native Son Was Born	p. 209
The Mirror and the Vamp: Invention, Reflection, and Bad, Bad Cathy Trask in East of Eden	p. 235
Afterword	p. 258
Contributors	p. 273
Index	p. 277
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Writing the American Classics

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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