Grief and Genre in American Literature, 1790-1870

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Grief and Genre in American Literature, 1790-1870 by Desirée Henderson, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Desirée Henderson ISBN: 9781317124474
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 15, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Desirée Henderson
ISBN: 9781317124474
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 15, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Focusing on the role of genre in the formation of dominant conceptions of death and dying, Desirée Henderson examines literary texts and social spaces devoted to death and mourning in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century America. Henderson shows how William Hill Brown, Susanna Rowson, and Hannah Webster borrowed from and challenged funeral sermon conventions in their novelistic portrayals of the deaths of fallen women; contrasts the eulogies for George Washington with William Apess's "Eulogy for King Philip" to expose conflicts between national ideology and indigenous history; examines Frederick Douglass's use of the slave cemetery to represent the costs of slavery for African American families; suggests that the ideas about democracy materialized in Civil War cemeteries and monuments influenced Walt Whitman's war elegies; and offers new contexts for analyzing Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's The Gates Ajar and Emily Dickinson's poetry as works that explore the consequences of female writers claiming authority over the mourning process. Informed by extensive archival research, Henderson's study eloquently speaks to the ways in which authors adopted, revised, or rejected the conventions of memorial literature, choices that disclose their location within decisive debates about appropriate gender roles and sexual practices, national identity and citizenship, the consequences of slavery, the nature of democratic representation, and structures of authorship and literary authority.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Focusing on the role of genre in the formation of dominant conceptions of death and dying, Desirée Henderson examines literary texts and social spaces devoted to death and mourning in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century America. Henderson shows how William Hill Brown, Susanna Rowson, and Hannah Webster borrowed from and challenged funeral sermon conventions in their novelistic portrayals of the deaths of fallen women; contrasts the eulogies for George Washington with William Apess's "Eulogy for King Philip" to expose conflicts between national ideology and indigenous history; examines Frederick Douglass's use of the slave cemetery to represent the costs of slavery for African American families; suggests that the ideas about democracy materialized in Civil War cemeteries and monuments influenced Walt Whitman's war elegies; and offers new contexts for analyzing Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's The Gates Ajar and Emily Dickinson's poetry as works that explore the consequences of female writers claiming authority over the mourning process. Informed by extensive archival research, Henderson's study eloquently speaks to the ways in which authors adopted, revised, or rejected the conventions of memorial literature, choices that disclose their location within decisive debates about appropriate gender roles and sexual practices, national identity and citizenship, the consequences of slavery, the nature of democratic representation, and structures of authorship and literary authority.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Medieval Theatre in Context: An Introduction by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book The Collected Novels and Memoirs of William Godwin Vol 6 by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book East Asian Law by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Science, Ethics, and Politics by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Learning to Teach in Urban Schools by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Managing a Community Oral History Project by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Serving African American Children by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book The Routledge Dictionary of Turkish Cinema by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Masses by Gasparo Villani, Alessandro Grandi, Pietro Lappi, and Benivoglio Lev by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Deciding Children's Futures by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Value-creation in Middle Market Private Equity by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Reading and Writing Italian Homosexuality by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Divine Intervention by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book History of Economic Relations between Russia and China by Desirée Henderson
Cover of the book Back From the Future by Desirée Henderson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy