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Studying English: American Literature

English, both at Centenary and on an academic global scale, is a multifaced, useful, and widely applicable field of study. This guide aims to highlight the different aspects of English taught here at Centenary while also providing resources and general kn

Journals Available Through Magale Library

  • American Literature - Duke Press - https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-literature/issue
    • American Literature  has been regarded since its inception as the preeminent periodical in its field. Each issue contains articles covering the works of several American authors—from colonial to contemporary—as well as an extensive book review section; a “Brief Mention” section offering citations of new editions and reprints, collections, anthologies, and other professional books; and an “Announcements” section that keeps readers up-to-date on prizes, competitions, conferences, grants, and publishing opportunities.
  • Western American Literature - University of Nebraska Press - https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/418
    • Since 1965, Western American Literature has been the leading peer-reviewed journal in the literary and cultural study of the North American West, defined broadly to include western Canada and northern Mexico. They are constantly looking for new theoretical approaches to canonical figures as well as studies of emerging authors, filmmakers, and others who are expanding the canon of western literary and cultural production.
  • Southwestern American Literature - Center for the Study of the Southwest - https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=lln_accl&id=GALE|3BNG&v=2.1&it=aboutJournal
    • Features literary criticism, fiction, poetry, and book reviews concerning the Greater Southwest.
  • Early American Literature - University of North Carolina Press - https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/command/detail?vid=0&sid=0e130104-4a72-4360-9c75-056f48467d7e%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#jid=EAE&db=rlh
    • Founded in 1965, Early American Literature  is the journal of the Division on American Literature to 1830 of the Modern Language Association. It is the only journal that focuses on the scholarship and criticism of American literature through the early national period. It typically includes six essays, an essay review or forum, and several book reviews.
  • Black American Literature Forum - Johns Hopkins University Press - https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/command/detail?vid=0&sid=3967e747-a455-47e0-99c9-0454ede91184%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#jid=24T&db=lkh
    • African American Review (AAR) is a scholarly aggregation of insightful essays on African American literature, theatre, film, the visual arts, and culture; interviews; poetry; fiction; and book reviews. AAR has featured renowned writers and cultural critics including Trudier Harris, Arnold Rampersad, Hortense Spillers, Amiri Baraka, Cyrus Cassells, Rita Dove, Charles Johnson, Cheryl Wall, and Toni Morrison.
  • Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States - Oxford Academic -https://academic.oup.com/melus/pages/About
    • MELUS, a prestigious and rigorous journal in the field of multi-ethnic literature of the United States, has been a vital resource for scholarship and teaching for more than forty years. Published quarterly, MELUS  illuminates the national, international, and transnational contexts of US ethnic literature.
  • Studies in American Jewish Literature - Penn State University Press - https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=lln_accl&id=GALE|3AJR&v=2.1&it=aboutJournal
    • Publishes scholarly articles, book reviews, occasional poetry, and short stories dealing with aspects of the Jewish experience in literature.
  • Asian American Literature - San José University - https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/aaldp/all_issues.html
    • Their goal is the production, collection, and distribution of accessible high quality research on Asian American Literature for students, teachers, and the general public. They seek contributions that, while informed by the theoretical concerns of specialists in the field, are comprehendible by non-specialists, including students and non-specialist teachers at the high school and college levels.

List of Great American Novels

The Great American Novel is thought to embody the essence of the American character. This list is a collective of many of the novels argued to be the Great American Novel. 

What is American Literature

"What, Exactly, Is American Literature" https://lithub.com/what-exactly-is-american-literature/

  • A podcast episode from The History of Literature Podcast with Jacke Wilson featuring Ilan Stavans. This episode aims to explore how America defines itself, who defines it, where did the idea of American exceptionalism come from, and how does literature fit into any of this?

Open Access Links

  • LibriVox recordings - https://librivox.or
    • ​​​​​​​LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain , and then they release the audio files back onto the net for free. All of their audio is in the public domain. Users can find thousands of free audiobooks.
  • Gutenberg eBooks - https://www.gutenberg.org
    • Project Gutenberg is an online library of free eBooks. Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. The website publishes thousands of public domain eBooks.

Overview of the American Literary Timeline