The Evolution of Literature in the Americas: A Timeline and Commentary

This book offers a systematic and comparative history of the evolution of literature in the Americas, from the beginning to the present day. It begins with an introduction that assesses the development of the field and then proceeds to a chapter on the literature of Pre-Columbian and indigenous America. It then moves forward chronologically, from the arrival of the Europeans (beginning in 1492) to the year 2026. Including indigenous literature, the other American literatures represented in the book are those of Canada (both Francophone and Anglophone), the United States, the Caribbean (Francophone and Anglophone), Spanish America, and Brazil. Not every book ever written in the Americas is included, of course; only those that, in the author’s estimation, offer some valid point of comparison with other American literary cultures. These points of comparison include issues of theme, genre, literary periods, literature and other disciplines, such as history, art, music, or politics, cases of influence and reception, and translation. The book’s emphasis is on viewing American literature from a hemispheric and comparative lens.