Questions of Social and Economic Justice

The first thematic series published for American literature, THE WADSWORTH THEMES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE SERIES is currently comprised of 21 themes spanning the time period normally covered in the two-semester American literature survey course--1492 to the present. Each carefully edited booklet centers on a core issue of the period with attention given to the development of key themes. Each thematic booklet offers an introductory contextual essay, a variety of literary perspectives, headnotes and footnotes, along with a variety of visual elements. In the third sequence of booklets, Alfred Bendixen offers a selection from the period just after the Civil War through the beginnings of the modern period. Bendixen, who is Executive Director of the American Literature Association, has proven himself a scholar of unusual talents, and he brings his deep knowledge of the period into play. Bendixen offers a compelling range of texts by men and women who consider the evolving issue of gender in fascinating ways. During this period, a young nation struggles to define itself, to locate its economic pulse, to balance the need for economic expansion and development with the requirements and demands of social justice. Millions of immigrants arrived from Europe, radically changing the complexion of the nation. In "Crime, Mystery, and Detection," students will find an array of gripping stories by some of the pioneering authors from this emerging popular genre.

Jay Parini is a poet, novelist, and biographer. He is Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College in Vermont. Among his books are THE LAST STATION (Holt, 1990), BENJAMIN'S CROSSING (Holt, 1997), THE ART OF SUBTRACTION: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (Braziller, 2005), and WHY POETRY MATTERS (Yale, 2008). He has written biographies of John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, and William Faulkner. He has edited numerous books, including THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE (Oxford, 2004) and THE WADSWORTH ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY (Wadsworth, 2006).

Alfred Bendixen is Professor of English at Texas A& M University. He is the founder of the American Literature Association, which he currently serves as Executive Director. His books include HAUNTED WOMEN (Continuum International, 1985), an edition of the composite novel, THE WHOLE FAMILY (Olympic Marketing Group, 1986), "THE AMBER GODS" AND OTHER STORIES BY HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD, (Rutgers UP, 1989), and EDITH WHARTON: NEW CRITICAL ESSAYS (Garland, 1992). He is the associate editor of the CONTINUUM ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE (Continuum International, 1999) and the co-editor of the CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING (Cambridge UP, scheduled for publication in 2008).