Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Edited by Mark Bauerlein, this scintillating collection of essays by the late Joseph Riddel is a fitting tribute to a fine and
influential scholar. These essays were written over the course of 30 years (though three are published here for the first time) and represent Riddel's view that the canon and its definers determine what comes to be called 'American literature,' not the other way around. In these days of canon reformation, the idea may not seem particularly startling. The collection reminds us, however, that Riddel was among the first to approach American literature in this way, and his insights remain valuable and relevant to today's scholarship. Rauerlein has ordered the essays in a logical and illuminating matter. The first explores how America's first writers 'invented' a new language for the New World, and others focus on the writings of such 'standard' authors as Emerson, Melville, and Hawthorne." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)