Preface

When I first heard that one of my friends was busy writing a book, I thought such kind of work was far from my life. It never occurred to me that I would finally undertake such a demanding job. Anyway, I was lucky to teach American Literature early in my life, which exposed me to a wider world that I had not known as a student.

Despite the fact that its history is comparatively short, American Literature has contributed a lot to world literature since the 19th century. Under the influence of philosophy, religion, art, science and even history, numerous literary works have come into being, which not only enrich American Literature but also help the whole world to know the United States, this country, and its culture better. This book mainly covers two parts: a short history of American Literature and selected readings. At the beginning of each period the historical background is presented so that it becomes easier to grasp the mainstream of literature. To introduce a writer and his works, his life is involved, which serves to shed light on his works. All those selected readings are classic and short, suitable to analyze and even to recite. To have a full understanding of American Literature, I have read some reference books and borrowed some ideas from them. And in some aspects, it is not perfect and still needs improving. Therefore, both sincere criticism and constructive suggestions are welcome.

I am deeply grateful to the Foreign Languages Department at Hexi University for offering me the opportunity to further my pursuit of literature. My special thanks go to my dear friends, Xu Xiaoping, who has encouraged me to restart this formidable task, after my computer was attacked by a terrible hacker and all my files were encoded. I should also extend my thanks to those who have supported me all the way. Without their constant help, it would be impossible for me to finish this book.

Zhu Yuying

December 2016