American Literary Culture – serie

Explores the intersections of print, writing, and media in early American literary cultures Print Technologies and the Emergence of American Literary Cultures traces the complex dynamics that shaped literary production in North America from pre-Columbian times through the early nineteenth century. Oliver Scheiding’s in-depth study demonstrates how literary cultures emerged not from isolated acts of authorship, but through a network of human and non-human mediators, diverse material surfaces, and intersecting media forms. By bringing into dialogue oral, aural, visual, and print practices, the book reveals how literary histories were assembled across cultural, material, and linguistic boundaries in the circum-Atlantic world. Balancing original archival recovery with theoretical insights, Scheiding situates American literature within a broad ecology of media and material practices. The book examines Indigenous writings, the circulation of texts in periodicals, and the literary work of figures such as Anne Bradstreet, Samson Occom, Phillis Wheatley, Susanna Rowson, Charles Brockden Brown, and Washington Irving. It also considers how these early practices resonate in contemporary forms of visual storytelling and collaborative texts. Offering fresh interpretations that combine literary analysis, anthropology, material culture studies, and media history, Scheiding reframes American literary history as a multilayered set of media events rather than a linear narrative of print dominance. Investigating how literature, media technologies, and material practices converge to shape cultural expression across time, Print Technologies and the Emergence of American Literary Cultures: Provides exemplary close readings that merge literary history with media theory and material analysisIntroduces the concept of “deep surfaces” as a method for reading literary cultures across material contextsPresents innovative archival recovery of overlooked Indigenous and colonial writing practicesDemonstrates the entanglement of oral, visual, and print traditions in shaping literary productionEmploys interdisciplinary approaches, drawing from anthropology, sociology, and material culture studiesExtending the field of American literary history beyond linear narratives of print dominance, Print Technologies and the Emergence of American Literary Cultures is ideal for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars in courses such as Early American Literature, Indigenous Studies, Book History, and Print Culture Studies, fitting within English, American Studies, and Media Studies degree programs. It is also a valuable reference text for researchers in transatlantic and cultural studies.

Explores how American Literature has represented the sound and spirit of popular music From the birth of rhythm and blues to the rise of hip-hop, American writers have long grappled with how to capture in words the energy, rebellion, and cultural power of popular music. Popular Music and American Literary Culture traces this complex relationship, offering the most comprehensive exploration yet of how novelists, poets, and playwrights have responded to the sounds that have defined the last eight decades of American life. Kirk Curnutt examines how writers have celebrated, critiqued, and been inspired by the sonic revolutions of their time—from Elvis and Motown to punk and rap—while questioning literature’s ability to match music’s visceral immediacy. Moving from 1950s pulp paperbacks to twenty-first-century drama, Curnutt uncovers how depictions of performers, fans, and media reflect broader debates about art, authenticity, and cultural authority. His wide-ranging readings recover overlooked works and authors who confronted rock and soul with as much seriousness as the revered voices of American fiction, poetry, and theater. Illuminating how writers have tried, and often struggled, to translate rhythm, emotion, and the pulse of a generation into prose and verse, Popular Music and American Literary Culture: Addresses scholarship on rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop within a single, cohesive frameworkReveals how literary portrayals of music reflect shifting cultural attitudes toward race, class, gender, and generational identityExamines canonical authors including Thomas Pynchon and James Baldwin, as well as overlooked writers such as Kristin Hunter and Greg RandolphReclaims forgotten or neglected texts that expand the boundaries of American musical and literary studyIntegrates historical, cultural, and formal perspectives to show the evolution of music in American artistic consciousnessPopular Music and American Literary Culture: Reading the Beat is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in American literature, popular culture, and music history. It is especially relevant for English, American Studies, and Cultural Studies programs seeking to blend literary analysis with media and performance studies. Written in an engaging and accessible style, it is also well-suited for general readers interested in the interplay between sound and story in American artistic life.