Routledge - Grief and Genre in American Literature, 1790-1870

Explore the complex relationship between literary forms and the cultural perception of death in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century America. In Grief and Genre in American Literature, 1790-1870, author Desiree Henderson investigates how different genres shape the ways society understands dying and mourning. This academic study looks at specific literary texts and social spaces to reveal how authors used or challenged existing conventions. Henderson examines how writers like William Hill Brown, Susanna Rowson, and Hannah Webster adapted funeral sermon styles in their novels regarding the deaths of fallen women. The text also provides a comparative look at eulogies, contrasting the tributes for George Washington with William Apess's Eulogy for King Philip. This comparison helps reveal the tensions between national ideology and indigenous history. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars interested in American literary history, sociology, and the cultural evolution of mourning practices. It provides a deep look at how literature reflects and shapes the social realities of a developing nation.