As early as the turn of the nineteenth century, writers and critics were asking, What is American literature? Having brought the English language to the New World, were Americans burdened with the traditions of English literature, or were they free to develop their own literary traditions? We ask you to consider what makes American literature distinctly American, how that label has changed over the years, and what, exactly, it means to call a work a piece of American literature. The following nine selections will help you give that subject some thought.
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