The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume B, 1820-1865

by Robert S. Levine (Editor), Michael A. Elliott (Editor), Sandra M. Gustafson (Editor)

The most-trusted anthology for complete works, balanced selections, and helpful editorial apparatus, The Norton Anthology of American Literature features a cover-to-cover revision. The Ninth Edition introduces new General Editor Robert Levine and three new-generation editors who have reenergized the volume across the centuries. Fresh scholarship, new authors―with an emphasis on contemporary writers―new topical clusters, and a new ebook make the Norton Anthology an even better teaching tool and an unmatched value for students.

Genres: Anthologies, School, Fiction, Textbooks, Education, Literature, Short Stories

1808 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2017

About the author

Robert S. Levine (Ph.D. Stanford University 1981) is Distinguished University Professor of English and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Levine is the General Editor of The Norton Anthology of American Literature and is a member of the editorial boards of American Literary History, Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies, and J19: The Journal of Nineteenth-Century Americanists.

Reviews

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently reading this for my American Literature class and I will be keeping track of the readings that I do in the class:

1) The Last of the Mohicans- James Fenimore Cooper chapter III excerpt
Thoughts: This is an interesting excerpt that focuses on a conversation between a Native American man and a settler in America. It's alright, but I wasn't a big fan of it and Cooper's writing style is very long-winded.
Rating: 2 stars

2)Hope Leslie- Catharine Maria Sedgwick
Thoughts: I loved the excerpts of this novel so much. I was completely captivated while reading and I loved Sedgwick's writing style. Her storytelling and characterization are strong. It was really refreshing to have a Native's perspective on the genocide of their people.
Rating: 4.5 stars

3)Nature- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thoughts: This was so long and it was a little boring at times. The best chapter (from the ones I read) was Chapter I. Nature and I really enjoyed reading that particular chapter, but a lot of the other ones were a little hard to slug through.
Rating: 3

4)Letter to Walt Whitman- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thoughts: Honestly no clue why I was assigned to read this since we didn't discuss it.
Rating: 1

5)Letter to Martin Van Buren- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thoughts: Emerson makes a lot of strong points in supporting his stance on why the extraction of Natives from their land is problematic and goes against what Americans just finished fighting for.
Rating: 3.5

6)Young Goodman Brown- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Thoughts: Really enjoyed reading this one all the way through. I've only ever read excerpts of it and it was interesting to see how Hawthorne wrapped the story up. Great themes, imagery, and it was definitely a little spooky.
Rating: 4.25 stars

7)The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Thoughts: I was supposed to read this, but the excerpts provided were over 200 pages and I've already this novel before. It's not a favorite, but it's a novel I love discussing because of the themes and imagery. Check out my review for it here.
Rating: 2.25 stars

8)From Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie- Henry Wadswroth Longfellow
Thoughts: The excerpt provided is so short that I couldn't get a feel of the overall piece, but I know the story very well since I'm from Louisiana and descend from the Acadians of Nova Scotia. However, it's interesting to hear other Acadians talk about this piece. Some love it to pieces, but others abhor it because it has helped perpetuate the negative stereotype that the Acadians were branded with.
Rating: 3 stars

9)The Raven- Edgar Allan Poe
Thoughts: I've read this one about six or seven times (maybe more than that). I love this one and I'm a fan of this poem. It's so wonderful and creepy.
Rating: 5 stars

10) The Fall of the Usher- Edgar Allan Poe
Thoughts: I don't think I've read this one before, but I knew the story going in. Poe is just a wonderful storyteller and I really enjoyed this one. Not my favorite, but I did enjoy it.
Rating: 4.5 stars

11) The Tell-Tale Heart- Edgar Allan Poe
Thoughts: This one is very famous and is referenced all the time within the horror genre. It's a really panicked story and it's a lot of fun to get sucked into.
Rating: 4.75 stars

12) The Cask of Amontillado-Edgar Allan Poe
Thoughts: I love this one so much. I've read this story before, but it was a favorite four years ago and remains a favorite today. I love the story that Poe paints and how we slowly see a revenge story unfold that ends in a horrific ending.
Rating: 5 stars

13) From Notes on the State of Virginia- Thomas Jefferson
Thoughts: I read this same excerpt in the previous anthology of the Norton collection. It was shit racist rhetoric then and it still is now. Making the excerpt shorter doesn't make Jefferson seem less like the racist hypocrite that he is.
Rating: 1 star

14) Speech to the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio 1851- Sojourner Truth
Thoughts: This woman is such an inspiration. Her speeches have been amazing and this one is a good example of her ability to capture an audience. She is remarkable and I find it crazy that it wasn't until this semester in college at nineteen years that I'm being exposed to her work.
Rating: 4 stars

15)"Stanzas for the First of August"- James M. Whitfield
Thoughts: This is a really haunting poem. It's one of the better ones that I've read for this class and it really packs a punch.
Rating: 3.75 stars

16) Uncle Tom's Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Thoughts: I only had to read chapter 1 and 6 of Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I really enjoyed what I read and I'm very curious in checking out the full novel to see if I would enjoy it. Stowe does well in conveying the plight of the slave, but she does incorporate stereotypes. While these stereotypes can be offensive, I'm not sure if it was done to cause offense, but still stereotypes were used and it was at times offensive.
Rating: 3.5 stars

17)Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl- Harriet Jacobs
Thoughts: I absolutely loved reading Jacobs' account of her life as a slave. Her story is so heartbreaking and it remained on my mind for days after reading. I definitely want to purchase the novel and read it at full. Jacobs is not only a wonderful writing, but she expresses themes in her current society that were ignored.
Rating: 5 stars

18)Walden-Henry David Thoreau
Thoughts: I read a couple of excerpts of this years ago when I was in high school. I was introduced to different excerpts in Thoreau's famous "Walden", but I still have the same lukewarm and unimpressed thoughts with Thoreau's journey into seclusion. It's just not my cup of tea.
Rating: 2 stars

19) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Thoughts: As much as we talk about Douglass in school and learn about him, I had never read any excerpts from his narrative. This was really moving and it, like Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, stayed on mind for a while. Douglass is a fantastic writer and I'm interested in checking out the full Narrative.
Rating: 4.25 stars

20)"American Notes for General Circulation"- Charles Dickens
Thoughts: I'm currently reading/listening to Great Expectations, so I was getting a good bit of Dickens while reading this. It was an interesting historical account of Dickens' visit to an all female factory in America.
Rating: 3 stars

21)"Eureka: A Prose Poem"- Edgar Allen Poe
Thoughts: This is a prose poem about science. It's a lot to take in and it was not for me. I love Poe, but I did not love this.
Rating: 1.5 star

22) "The Claims of the Negro"- Frederick Douglass
Thoughts: More Douglass! And less of the tired white guys racist remarks while claiming not to be racist. Douglass is a very well-spoken man and provides a concise argument that science was being racist because it was.
Rating: 3.75 stars

23)"A Woman Waits for Me"- Walt Whitman
Thoughts: Whitman loved sex and it is very clear from this poem.
Rating: 3.5 stars

24) "A Noiseless Patient Spider"- Walt Whitman
Thoughts: This one was nice, but not a favorite.
Rating: 2.25 stars

25) "Because I could not stop for Death"- Emily Dickinson
Thoughts: I LOVED THIS POEM. I have a feeling that I am a fan of Dickinson and I definitely want to read more of her poetry.
Rating: 5 stars

26) "A Spider sewed at Night" -Emily Dickinson
Thoughts: I also enjoyed this poem and I thought the theme was interesting.
Rating: 4.5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.41 stars

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is very extensive and could maybe be shortened. However, my favorite authors are Frederick Douglass, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Louisa May Alcott.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of the writing of the time. Includes essays, fiction, speeches, etc. I wish it had included the entirety of works like Harriet Jacobs' book, but it can't hold everything.

[Marjorie Jensen]

For my American lit TA-ship at Berkeley.

[Kylie]

I probably didn’t even read 50% of this (random excerpts for English class) but i haven’t read much this year outside of school so I’m counting it 🥴 it was a very good textbook though.

[Hannah Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought and read for ENG 3271-01 American Literature I Fa21, but will always be on my shelf :,)