American literature; nineteenth century; literary nationalism; Transcendentalism

For nearly a century, from the Revolution until after the Civil War, both foreign critics and anxious American men and women of letters debated the question of when and how America would establish a national literature of its own. This essay examines that debate and its various sub-questions, noting its key figures and arguments and its connections with larger issues of textual authority, national “genius,” and the cultural implications of American democracy.

For nearly a century, from the Revolution until after the Civil War, both foreign critics and anxious American men and women of letters debated the question of when and how America would establish a national literature of its own. This essay examines that debate and its various sub-questions, noting its key figures and arguments and its connections with larger issues of textual authority, national “genius,” and the cultural implications of American democracy.