American Gothic: An Anthology from Salem Witchcraft to H. P. Lovecraft (Blackwell Anthologies) - Hardcover

This excellent anthology provides an entertaining collection of gothic works of various genres written by both canonical authors, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, and less familiar American writers, such as Harriet Prescot Spofford and Ella Wilkinson Peattie ... Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. (Choice, 1 January 2014) One of the main strengths of this collection lies in the fact that it places alongside the intelligent selection of extracts from authors already rightly well associated with the genre contributions from lesser known figures such as George Lippard. John Neal, Charles W. Chestnutt, and Cotton Mather, to name but a few. The edition also benefits greatly from a much greater acknowledgement of the traditionally underlooked contributions to the genre made by female authors The anthology's thoughtful selection of texts and authors, and useful, practical, scholarly apparatus mean that it should be an immensely useful resource for anyone teaching on courses related to this ever-expanding and influential subsection of American literary studies. Bernice Murphy, Trinity College Dublin

American Gothic remains an enduringly fascinating genre, retaining its chilling hold on the imagination. This revised and expanded anthology brings together texts from the colonial era to the twentieth century including recently discovered material, canonical literary contributions from Poe and Wharton among many others, and literature from sub-genres such as feminist and wilderness Gothic. * Revised and expanded to incorporate suggestions from twelve years of use in many countries * An important text for students of the expanding field of Gothic studies * Strong representation of female Gothic, wilderness Gothic, the Gothic of race, and the legacy of Salem witchcraft * Edited by a founding member of the International Gothic Association