This major new history of American literature from pre-Columbian times to the present is written in an informed but accessible style by one of the leading authorities in the field. While paying attention to the full range of fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction that has been incorporated into the mainstream literary canon, it also looks at other forms, including oral literature, folktales, spirituals, the blues, the western, the detective story, the thriller, and science fiction. All this writing is placed in the context of American social and cultural history both before and after the formation of the United States. Taking account of the radical changes that have occurred in our understanding of American literature over the past 30 years, this book concentrates above all on the plural character of culture in the United States, the conflicting forces at work in its history, and the continuing acts of imagination that constitute the making of this nation. This major new history of American literature from pre-Columbian times to the present is written in an informed but accessible style by one of the leading authorities in the field. A major new one-volume history of American literature from pre-Columbian times to the present. Extremely broad-ranging, taking in Native American, Anglo American, African American, Asian American and Hispanic American literature. Covers oral literature, folktales, spirituals, the blues, the western, the detective story, the thriller and science fiction, as well as canonical literature. Relates the history of American literature to American social and cultural history. Takes account of changes in critical and theoretical debates about literature in the last 30 years. Written by a leading international authority on American literature.