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Anthology of American Literature, Volume 2: Realism to the Present

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For nearly three decades, students and instructors have complemented their introductory American Literature studies with George McMichael’s Anthology of American Literature 8e.  Carefully selected works introduce readers to America's literary heritage, from the colonial period of William Bradford and Anne Bradstreet to the contemporary era of Saul Bellow and Toni Morrison.

In this eighth edition, the table of contents will continue to include classic canonical works and new canonical works chosen for their literary value.  These texts represent the best available scholarly texts and include as many complete works as possible. 

In addition to varied and time-tested selections, an expanded chronological chart and interactive timeline help readers associate literary works with historical, political, technological, and cultural developments.

 

 www.prenhall.com/mcmichael  FREE updated Companion Website™ includes quizzes for text selections, author links, an interactive timeline, and additional American literature resources.

Pick a Penguin Program*

We offer select Penguin Putnam titles at a substantial discount to your students when you request a special package of one or more Penguin titles with this text.  Among the many American Literature titles available from Penguin Putnam are:

· Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage

· Frederick Douglass, Narrative of Frederick Douglass

· Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

· James Fennimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

· Washington Irving,The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories

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First published January 1, 1974

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for B. P. Rinehart.
765 reviews292 followers
December 14, 2019
This is an amazing anthology that starts with Mark Twain & ends with Billy Collins. In between they feature a varied assortment of writers across almost every demographic and school of literature that came about in the United States. I personally brought this book because it featured a good selection of writers from the Black Arts Movement and beyond, but it features a good introduction of writers from every generation from the above mentioned eras. Also, it features limited commentary so it has that over The Norton Anthology of American Literature.
Profile Image for Robin .
89 reviews8 followers
November 27, 2024
This was the textbook in my American Lit class in the late 70's. At the time I read the assigned selections, about a fourth of the book. Currently I am working on reading the entire book. It starts with Whitman and goes through to the early 70's. I have a collection by different authors and publishers for Volume 1, also printed in the 70's which was given to me by a friend that covers from Bradford to Whitman. After some research I found Volume Two of that set and bought it. There is some overlap in both second volumes but each has much that is unique to that volume. I am enjoying working through these books and getting a great overview of American Literature.
Profile Image for Monzenn.
897 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2023
Great book, like the first anthology. There's a story for everyone here. This one starts with post-Civil war and ends in modern times, going through realism, non-realism, and back to confessional-style works. Works covered the whole spectrum of experiences, from bad to good. Amusing that Billy Collins ends the anthology with meta-fiction, i.e. talking about poems and fiction in his poems.
Profile Image for Ana Mardoll.
Author 7 books369 followers
February 18, 2011
American Literature, Vol. 2 / 0-13-083815-2

This anthology completely reversed the long-standing impression formed in my childhood that American literature is intrinsically boring. This volume includes hundreds of wonderful examples of superb American literature, particularly and especially from minority voices that I had never before been exposed to. The short stories provided by female and African American authors are absolutely wonderful, and they provide an important contrast to the "traditional" authors taught predominantly in grade schools. Which isn't to say that the "traditional" authors aren't also good, just that the contrast provided here by the multitude of voices is absolutely crucial to the appreciation of the evolution of American literature. I highly recommend this volume for any private library, and I would bet that even the most well-read enthusiast can find at least one new author here to enjoy.

REALISM LITERATURE
- Adams, Henry
- Bierce, Ambrose
- Dickenson, Emily
- Cable, George Washington
- Chesnutt, Charles Waddell
- Chopin, Kate
- Crane, Stephen
- Dreiser, Theodore
- Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins
- Gilman, Charlotte Perkins
- Harris, Joel Chandler
- Harte, Bret
- Howells, William Dean
- James, Henry
- Jewett, Sarah Orne
- London, Jack
- Norris, Frank
- Twain, Mark
- Wharton, Edith
- Whitman, Walt

TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE
- Albee, Edward
- Ammons, A.R.
- Anderson, Sherwood
- Baldwin, James
- Bambara, Toni Cade
- Baraka, Amiri (LeRoi Jones)
- Barthelme, Donald
- Beattie, Ann
- Bellow, Saul
- Bishop, Elizabeth
- Brooks, Gwendolyn
- Carver, Raymond
- Cather, Willa
- Cisneros, Sandra
- Crane, Hart
- Cullen, Countee
- Cummings, E.E.
- DeLillo, Don
- Dickey, James
- dos Passos, John
- Dove, Rita
- Eliot, T.S.
- Ellison, Ralph
- Erdrich, Louise
- Faulkner, William
- Fitzgerald, F. Scott
- Frost, Robert
- Ginsberg, Allen
- Glasgow, Ellen
- Gluck, Louise
- Hansberry, Lorraine
- Hemingway, Ernest
- Howe, Tina
- Hughes, Langston
- Hurston, Zora Neale
- Jarrell, Randall
- Jeffers, Robinson
- Kingston, Maxine Hong
- Levertov, Denise
- Lowell, Robert
- Malamud, Bernard
- Mason, Bobbie Ann
- Merwin, W.S.
- Miller, Arthur
- Moore, Marianne
- Morrison, Toni
- Naylor, Gloria
- O'Conner, Flannery
- O'Neill, Eugene
- Oates, Joyce Carol
- Olson, Tillie
- Plath, Sylvia
- Porter, Katherine Anne
- Pound, Ezra
- Pynchon, Thomas
- Rich, Adrienne
- Rivera, Tomas
- Robinson, Edwin Arlington
- Roethke, Theodore
- Roth, Philip
- Sanchez, Sonia
- Sandburg, Carl
- Sexton, Anne
- Silko, Leslie Marmon
- Stein, Gertrude
- Steinbeck, John
- Stevens, Wallace
- Tan, Amy
- Toomer, Jean
- Updike, James
- Walker, Alice
- Welty, Eudora
- Wilbur, Richard
- Williams, Tennesee
- Williams, William Carlos
- Wolfe, Thomas
- Wright, Richard

~ Ana Mardoll
Profile Image for Tony.
49 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2012
One of the finest collections of short story, novella, poetry and other American literature forms....I have read and reread and reread this book over the last thirty years....Outstanding!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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