Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America

Rocchietti, JosephProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6

Word count: 153K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North AmericaAuthor: Rocchietti, Joseph,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 25, 2010

Editor's review

This is an argumentative essay discussing the conditions for the development of American literature. The author asks from social, cultural, and environmental angles why the United States of North America found it difficult to grow a literature with a national character. Its value lies in providing a perspective for observing the cultural situation of nineteenth-century America, discussing literary questions in connection with social conditions rather than evaluating writers and works in isolation. For readers studying American literary history, comparative literature, or cultural history, this kind of document helps in understanding how the idea of a national literature was proposed and debated. The essay is not long, and its argument carries a distinct stance of its time; readers should treat it as a historical document rather than a final conclusion, and be careful to distinguish its value judgments and temporal limitations. When reading, one can combine it with relevant materials on the history of American literature and examine the author's problematic in its historical context, which makes it easier to appreciate the significance and shortcomings of the argument.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying American literary history and the formation of the idea of a national literature
History enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century American culture and society
University teachers and students who need primary documents in comparative literature or cultural studies

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping to read anthologies of American literature or author biographies
Readers expecting a systematic exposition of literary theory from a contemporary perspective
Beginners with weak English reading ability who find long argumentative sentences difficult

Reading tips

First understand the general background of nineteenth-century American literature and national consciousness, then enter the main text
When reading, mark the author's core arguments and evidence, and distinguish factual statements from value judgments
After reading, consult relevant chapters of American literary history and compare later scholarship in evaluating the views
It can be read alongside other contemporary discussions of American literature to compare similarities and differences in the problematic

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What problem does this essay discuss?

It asks why it was difficult to form a flourishing national literature in the United States of North America, and argues from the angle of social and cultural conditions. The essay is an argumentative piece on literature and social issues; it is not an anthology of literary works, nor a collection of author and work criticism.

Do the essay's views still hold today?

They should not be taken directly as conclusions. The essay carries the stance and value judgments of the nineteenth century, and the subsequent development of American literature forms a contrast with its assertions. A more appropriate way to read it is to place the views back in their historical context, understand how people at the time raised the question, and then evaluate them in light of later scholarship.

What preparation is needed to read this document?

It is advisable first to have some general knowledge of American literary history and the ability to read English argumentative prose. When reading, pay attention to the author's argumentative structure and stance; after reading, consult relevant literary history materials for comparison, which will make the problematic and temporal limitations clearer.

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About the author

Rocchietti, Joseph Author

Joseph Rocchietti is an author about whom limited public information is available. Very little is known of his life; only that a work by him has survived, with other details unknown. One work of his is included in the collection, Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America. Judging from the title, the book addresses the question of whether an independent American literature can develop, and it appears argumentative in nature, touching on the relationship between national literature and the cultural environment of a country. Because further biographical material is lacking, his writing style and specific influence are difficult to describe in detail, yet the title itself reflects the author's concern with literary nationality and social conditions. Readers may regard it as a voice worth noting when studying early American literary ideas.