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The American Classics : A Personal Essay

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Title: The American Classics : A Personal Essay
Description: How is a classic book to be defined? How much time must elapse before a work may be judged a “classic”? And among all the works of American literature, which deserve the designation? In this provocative new book Denis Donoghue essays to answer these questions. He presents his own short list of “relative” classics--works whose appeal may not be universal but which nonetheless have occupied an important place in our culture for more than a century. These books have survived the abuses of time—neglect, contempt, indifference, willful readings, excesses of praise, and hyperbole.Donoghue bestows the term classic on just five American works: Melville's Moby-Dick, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Thoreau's Walden, Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.Examining each in a separate chapter, he discusses how the writings have been received and interpreted, and he offers his own contemporary readings, suggesting, for example, that in the post–9/11 era, Moby-Dick may be rewardingly read as a revenge tragedy. Donoghue extends an irresistible invitation to open the pages of these American classics again, demonstrating with wit and acuity how very much they have to say to us now.
Authors: Denis Donoghue
Resource Type: eBook.
Subjects: American literature--19th century--History and criticism--Theory, etc, Canon (Literature)
Categories: LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / General
Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
FullText Links:
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  – Type: ebook-epub
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  Availability: 0
Header DbId: nlebk
DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
An: 188029
RelevancyScore: 998
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: eBook
PubTypeId: ebook
PreciseRelevancyScore: 998.4384765625
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  Data: How is a classic book to be defined? How much time must elapse before a work may be judged a “classic”? And among all the works of American literature, which deserve the designation? In this provocative new book Denis Donoghue essays to answer these questions. He presents his own short list of “relative” classics--works whose appeal may not be universal but which nonetheless have occupied an important place in our culture for more than a century. These books have survived the abuses of time—neglect, contempt, indifference, willful readings, excesses of praise, and hyperbole.Donoghue bestows the term classic on just five American works: Melville's Moby-Dick, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Thoreau's Walden, Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.Examining each in a separate chapter, he discusses how the writings have been received and interpreted, and he offers his own contemporary readings, suggesting, for example, that in the post–9/11 era, Moby-Dick may be rewardingly read as a revenge tragedy. Donoghue extends an irresistible invitation to open the pages of these American classics again, demonstrating with wit and acuity how very much they have to say to us now.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Classifications:
      – Code: 810.9003
        Scheme: ddc
        Type: prePub
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: American literature--19th century--History and criticism--Theory, etc
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canon (Literature)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The American Classics : A Personal Essay
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            NameFull: Denis Donoghue
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2005
            – D: 04
              M: 02
              Type: profile
              Y: 2014
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 9780300107814
            – Type: isbn-electronic
              Value: 9780300133783
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            – TitleFull: The American Classics : A Personal Essay
              Type: main
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