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Summary: A Seminal Survey of American Literature
Review: To anyone seeking an encompassing overview of American literature, here is your book. This, the latest edition of the Norton Anthology, not only makes for months of good reading but also acts as a good primer for further pursuits in American letters (academic and otherwise.) Besides the countless number of excellent selections, eleven works appear in their entirety. Among them, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Whitman's "Song of Myself," and Ginsburg's "Howl."The anthology also contains several new additions - most notably an intriguing section of Native American trickster tales that provides an interesting counter to Chris Columbus' over-zealous ramblings. As for more contemporary writing, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of deserving writers and poets newly anthologized in this revision: Toni Morrison, Raymond Carver, and Sandra Cisneros just to name a few. Yet what makes this anthology truly successful is the breadth and depth of the text as a whole. The selections, the organization, the well-written bits of biographical information... IT ALL FITS PERFECTLY! No doubt other readers will find this anthology as informative, provocative and enjoyable as I do. A definite keeper for my permanent collection.
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Summary: The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Version
Review: With an array of brilliant American writers from Walt Whitman to Edgar Allen Poe, this edition includes writers of different genres, styles, genders, and backgrounds. Yet they all share a quality which seems to define America. These essential writers and their works of literature have been thoughtfully chosen with poignant biographical information. I would recommend this to anyone curious in regards to the profound wisdom and wit American writers have conveyed.
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