During its early history, America was a group of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States. Its literary tradition, therefore, began as closely linked to the broader tradition of English literature. However, the unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production are now considered a separate identity.

The present work Studies in American Literature is like an anthology on seminal works in American literature. It presents a chronological account of American literature right from the beginning to the present day. The book includes articles on Franklin’s Autobiography, Emerson’s Essays, Thoreau’s Walden, and the novels of Hawthorne, Stowe, Melville, Twain, James, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Bellow, Morrison and Amy Tan. Besides, there are articles on the poetry of Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Stevens, Cummings, Hughes, Ginsberg and Plath. In addition, some major African-American writings have also been analysed to give the book a wider coverage.

The book will be highly useful to the students and teachers of American literature and researchers in this field.