Overview

American literary studies has undergone a series of field redefinitions over the past two decades that have been consistently described as ""turns,"" whether transnational, hemispheric, postnational, spatial, temporal, postsecular, aesthetic, or affective. In Turns of Event, Hester Blum and a splendid roster of contributors explore the conditions that have produced such movements. Offering an overview of the state of the study of nineteenth-century American literature, Blum contends that the field's propensity to turn, to reinvent itself constantly without dissolution, is one of its greatest strengths. The essays in the volume's first half, ""Provocations,"" trace the theoretical and methodological development and institutional emergence of certain turns, as well as providing calls to arms. The geopolitically oriented turns toward the transnational, hemispheric, and oceanic (whether Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific, or archipelagic in focus) have held a certain prevalence in American studies in recent years, and the second half of this volume presents a series of scholarly essays that exemplify these subfields. Taken together, these essays survey the field of American literary studies as it moves beyond new historicism as its primary methodology and evolves in light of ideological, conceptual, and material considerations. There is much at stake in these movements: the consequences and opportunities range from citational and evidentiary practices to canon expansion, resource allocation, and institutional futurity. Contributors: Monique Allewaert, Ralph Bauer, Hester Blum, Martin Bruckner, Michelle Burnham, Christopher Castiglia, Sean X. Goudie, Meredith L. McGill, Geoffrey Sanborn.

Full Product Details

Author:   Hester Blum
Publisher:   University of Pennsylvania Press
Imprint:   University of Pennsylvania Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9780812247985

ISBN 10:   0812247981
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   01 April 2016
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Academic Positioning Systems —Hester Blum PART I. PROVOCATIONS Chapter 1. Turn It Up: Affects, Structures of Feeling, and Face-to-Face Education —Geoffrey Sanborn Chapter 2. Literary History, Book History, and Media Studies —Meredith L. McGill Chapter 3. The Cartographic Turn and American Literary Studies: Of Maps, Mappings, and the Limits of Metaphor —Martin Brückner Chapter 4. Twists and Turns —Christopher Castiglia PART II. TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS: TRANSNATIONAL, HEMISPHERIC, OCEANIC Chapter 5. Of Turns and Paradigm Shifts: Humanities, Science, and Transnational American Studies —Ralph Bauer Chapter 6. The Geopolitics and Tropologies of the American Turn —Monique Allewaert Chapter 7. The Caribbean Turn in C19 American Literary Studies —Sean X. Goudie Chapter 8. Oceanic Turns and American Literary History in Global Context —Michelle Burnham Notes List of Contributors Index Acknowledgments

Reviews

"""Turns of Event mounts a stupendously thoughtful engagement with the current state of American literary studies. The essays are individual gems-each one stands well on its own and plays nicely within the larger collection. Gathering scholars who are leaders in the field and who speak to their subjects in impressively clear prose, this volume will be of tremendous use to scholars and students."" * Dana Nelson, Vanderbilt University *"

Turns of Event mounts a stupendously thoughtful engagement with the current state of American literary studies. The essays are individual gems-each one stands well on its own and plays nicely within the larger collection. Gathering scholars who are leaders in the field and who speak to their subjects in impressively clear prose, this volume will be of tremendous use to scholars and students. * Dana Nelson, Vanderbilt University *

Turns of Event mounts a stupendously thoughtful engagement with the current state of American literary studies. The essays are individual gems-each one stands well on its own and plays nicely within the larger collection. Gathering scholars who are leaders in the field and who speak to their subjects in impressively clear prose, this volume will be of tremendous use to scholars and students. -Dana Nelson, Vanderbilt University

""Turns of Event mounts a stupendously thoughtful engagement with the current state of American literary studies. The essays are individual gems-each one stands well on its own and plays nicely within the larger collection. Gathering scholars who are leaders in the field and who speak to their subjects in impressively clear prose, this volume will be of tremendous use to scholars and students."" (Dana Nelson, Vanderbilt University)

Author Information

Hester Blum is Associate Professor of English at the Pennsylvania State University.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions