American literature (academic discipline)
American literature is an academic discipline devoted to the study of American literature.
History
In the mid-19th century, English literature in the United States was generally seen, within academia, as inferior to
classical literature and its study generally limited to secondary schools.[1] The gradual legitimization of the English language within American academia was accompanied by the introduction of a limited number of university courses devoted to the study of American literature. The first university-level course in the subject was introduced at Princeton University in 1872 by John Seely Hart.[2] By the 1880s, several universities offered undergraduate classes in American Literature, including Dartmouth College, Mount Holyoke College, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Iowa.[3] The first graduate-level course in American literature was taught at the University of Virginia in 1891.[3]
In 1895, Dartmouth professor Charles Francis Richardson published a two-volume work on American Literature, 1607–1885, credited as the first attempt at a comprehensive history of American literature.Berlin University.[3]
Journals and associations
The scholarly journal American Literature was first published in 1929.[5] In 1989 the American Literature Association, a coalition of 110 affiliated societies mostly concerned with the work of a particular author (e.g. the Emily Dickinson International Society or the Thoreau Society), was organized.[6]
See also
References
- ISBN 0816621888.
- ISBN 1412842182.
- ^ ISBN 0521883458.
- ^ Spengemann, William. "The Study of American Literature: A View from the Hill". dartmouth.edu. Dartmouth College. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "American Literature". dukeupress. Duke University Press. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ "About". American Literature Association. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
