Norton Anthology of American Literature 978-0393886177

The Norton Anthology of American Literature to 1865 978-0393886177 is a comprehensive collection of American literary works from the colonial period through the Civil War era. It features writings by influential authors such as Anne Bradstreet, Benjamin Franklin, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Walt Whitman, along with historical documents and contextual essays. The anthology explores the development of American identity, culture, politics, religion, and social movements through a diverse range of voices and genres. Widely used in literature courses, it provides readers with historical background, critical introductions, and annotations that help illuminate the evolution of American literature before 1865.