An examination of literary responses to US imperialism from the late 18th century to the 1940s. Rowe argues that US literature has a long tradition of responding critically or contributing to our imperialist ventures.

"Nevertheless, this is a rich and powerful book, which effectively reconfigures the older virtues of textual analysis within a sophisticated framework of cutting-edge cultural theory... as intelligent as it is wide-ranging, whose plethora of provocative and pedagogically useful material will make it entirely indispensable for academic libraries."--Imperial Literary Culture "A stimulating and provocative book..."--Choice "Provides a sweeping reassessment of American imperialism.... A well-written and provocative account of the cultural responses to American imperialism, the work confronts central issues in contemporary theory and cultural studies."--History: Reviews of New Books "Nevertheless, this is a rich and powerful book, which effectively reconfigures the older virtues of textual analysis within a sophisticated framework of cutting-edge cultural theory...as intelligent as it is wide-ranging, whose plethora of provocative and pedagogically useful material will make it entirely indispensable for academic libraries."--Imperial Literary Culture

The first study to track American literary responses to U.S. imperialism from the Revolution to World War II An innovative and engrossing account that will earn comparisons to the work of Edward Said and Richard Slotkin

John Carlos Rowe is Professor of English at the University of California at Irvine and the author of At Emersons Tomb: The Politics of Classic American Literature, The Other Henry James, and Through the Custom-House: Nineteenth-Century American Fiction and Modern Theory.

The first study to track American literary responses to U.S. imperialism from the Revolution to World War II An innovative and engrossing account that will earn comparisons to the work of Edward Said and Richard Slotkin