Reading the American Novel 1865-1914

"Written as a guide to the American novel, 1865-1914, this absorbing volume sums up a lifetime of reading, thinking, and teaching by a formidable scholar-critic. Incisive readings of individual works and illuminating commentary on intellectual and social history make this an indispensable resource, not just for students but for readers of all sorts--including those (like myself) who thought they knew this field fairly well already. The sheer amount of knowledge that G. R. Thompson brings to bear on his subject is prodigious, and his insights into the persistence of romanticism and the romance genre in an era associated with realism, naturalism, and early modernism seemed especially provocative."
--J. Gerald Kennedy, Louisiana State University
 
"With extraordinary skill and exemplary clarity, G. R. Thompson deftly unravels the complex definitional tangles of late 19th-century American fiction to reveal how the dynamic double helix of realism and romance fostered an artistically rich array of hybrid literary forms resistant to simplistic labeling."
--William J. Scheick, University of Texas at Austin