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Title: Harper American Literature, Single Volume Edition (3rd Edition) by Donald McQuade, Robert Atwan, Martha Banta, Justin Kaplan, David Minter, Robert Stepto ISBN: 0-321-01269-0 Publisher: Pearson Longman Pub. Date: 17 December, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $79.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Possibly the best available U.S. lit anthology
Comment: No anthology of United States literature is going to be ideal for every student, teacher, or general reader. But "The Harper Single Volume American Literature," under the general editorship of Donald McQuade, is probable the best overall anthology of its kind. Weighing in at about 3000 pages, this is a huge gathering of American voices. The third edition of this text includes some major changes.
The anthology starts out with such foundational texts as Native American myths, an excerpt from an Icelandic saga about the discovery of the New World, and writings of Christopher Columbus. There follows a good sampling of 17th century Colonial literature. From there, the anthology moves chronologically to the contemporary era.
There is a great diversity of material here: poetry, autobiography, letters, speeches, short stories, excerpts from novels, plays, political documents, and more. The authors chosen represent the ethnic diversity of the U.S.: there are Asian American, African American, Native American, Jewish, Latino/a, and other voices. There is a good balance of male and female authors, and an interesting representation of lesbian and gay literature (most notably the first part of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America"). Through it all, most of the great names in U.S. literature appear.
There are informative introductions to each of the book's separate sections. Also fascinating are the several "Cultural Portfolios" scattered throughout the book. These are gatherings of texts and (in most cases) images that reflect a focused theme: the Salem witch trials, the Harlem Renaissance, etc. The most interesting of these Cultural Portfolios, in my opinion, is the one entitled "Who Is an American Writer?" This portfolio questions why some writers are "excluded" from the "canon" on the basis of birthplace, citizenship, or language in which they write; the portfolio includes examples of the writings of Vladimir Nabokov, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Maria Irene Fornes, Bharati Mukherjee, and others.
As excellent as this anthology is, there are some flaws. There is a virtual exclusion of important science fiction authors. Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Ursula LeGuin, Ray Bradbury, Samuel Delany: neither these nor any of the other great sci-fi writers appear. The neglect of this important genre is lamentable.
I also question the inclusion of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in its entirety. This book is a pivotal masterpiece, but it is widely available in a number of inexpensive additions. I would have used the space in the anthology to include a variety of other works by Twain and other authors, and let interested teachers order a copy of "Huckleberry" separately.
Despite its flaws, this is a truly outstanding anthology. If you have a serious interest in the literature and history of the United States, I recommend that you get this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: I've taught using this book
Comment: This is a nice collection for the 21st century, including lots of new voices while still maintaining enough of the canon for a good survey course. It's a big, heavy book (for a paperback) that might have been easier to read in two volumes, but as far as content goes, this one has Norton's beat by miles.
Rating: 5
Summary: I've used textbooks before...
Comment: but this is undoubtedly the best Anthology of American Literature available, if only because of the sheer variety and bulk of literature contained in it. As an added plus, there's background information on every author contained in the book. The writing varies from Columbus's diaries to late 20th century poetry, so there's something to interest everyone. All in all, it's a wonderful buy for the price.
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Title: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne ISBN: 0553210092 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 April, 1965 List Price(USD): $3.95 |
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Title: Harper Handbook to Literature (2nd Edition) by Northrup Frye, Sheridan Baker, George Perkins ISBN: 0673999432 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 07 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $43.50 |
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Title: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ISBN: 0684801523 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Volume II: Since 1865 : Volume of ...Kennedy-The American Spirit: United States History as Seen by Contemporaries by KENNEDY ISBN: 0618122184 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 01 January, 1900 List Price(USD): $47.56 |
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Title: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Anita Shreve ISBN: 0451527666 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 12 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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