This broad introduction to Colonial American literatures brings out the comparative and transatlantic nature of the writing of this period and highlights the interactions between native, non-scribal groups, and Europeans that helped to shape early American writing.
* Situates the writing of this period in its various historical and cultural contexts, including colonialism, imperialism, diaspora, and nation formation.
* Highlights interactions between native, non-scribal groups and Europeans during the early centuries of exploration.
* Covers a wide range of approaches to defining and reading early American writing.
* Looks at the development of regional spheres of influence in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
* Serves as a vital adjunct to Castillo and Schweitzer's 'The Literatures of Colonial America: An Anthology' (Blackwell Publishing, 2001).
