The Norton Anthology of American Literature - Essay Example

Understanding and Writing Literature by Analyzing a Book The Norton Anthology of American Literature; Shorter Eighth Edition, Volume 2 In the study of literature, the inter-relatedness of reading and writing increases as both are mutually dependent activities. Where on one, hand, the quality of what an author is writing in his her work about some literary text, is of greater significance, on the other hand, the idea or the ‘sense of the text’ which is presented in it, is also very necessary. It is very necessary to understand the scenarios in which the book or writing is presented. To discuss and define the different tactics and ways through which writers and students can make their writing effective, influential, and having the right sense of text, numerous work in the form of books, journals, articles, and researches have been presented. It should be noted that various books discuss about one single topic or a topic which are in relevance with each other. This idea was overridden by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine in their book The Norton Anthology of American Literature in a very effective manner as they have discussed all the major topics of American reading and writing in one single book. This paper aims to critically analyze those parts of the book which are in relevance with the writing of this paper. Moreover, the circumstances in which this piece of writing was published will also be discussed; the reasons provoking this piece of literature, and the literature interpreting those reasons. When a person writes about literature, the writing style may take any form which may range from the casual and personal style of writing to formal and public. Literature is an important aspect of any society. Literature portrays the functioning of the society and portrays it in the literate national and the international community. For this reason, the literature writing has to be done very cautiously taking all the factual and theoretical factors under consideration. Moreover, the author has very efficiently considered the writing ethics in the book deliberately. Writing ethics should be brought into consideration by any writer before writing any piece of literature. It is the most significant element which overrides all other elements of writing (Baym & Levine, 2012) (Nina Baym is the author / writer of this book. Since the writer herself is a famous literary historian, therefore she understands the American writing and reading in the best possible manner, whereas Levine is master in American and African American literature. His thirty years of experience comes in hand with this piece of writing in which he has discussed his experience and the influential methods for writing). Norton Anthology of American Literature also reflects the same idea. There are different chapters through which the authors have tried to emphasize on the techniques of writing literature and what it takes. These elements have been efficiently discussed and elaborated by Nina Baym in this book. Nina Baym is a well-known literary historian. She has presented her services as Professor of English at the University of Illinois (1963-2004). She has been credited for a variety of work on the literary criticism and history. She has not only written this particular book, but has been credited for numerous masterpieces of American Literary Criticism and History. Baym has served as the General Editor for the Norton Anthology of American Literature since 1991 (Baym & Levine, 2012). Similarly, Robert S. Levine is a notable and famous personality in the literary circle. He is a professor at the Department of English, University of Maryland. This is not just his only publication; he has written some famous books which includes Disclosing Race and Nation, etc. (Department of English, 2013) Nina Baym and Levine have however, served as the general editors of this book, but there are a few others editors as well who have contributed for the completion of this book. This book has been serving the American literary society for quite a long time. Having different and diverse collection of texts from different authors, the anthology is a great guide and tutor for many readers and writers. The current edition of the book is 8th, however, the first edition of the book was published back in 1979 including different anthologies of American poetry and literature, and became famous in 2003 (Baym & Levine, 2012). The anthology has been presented as a result of the increasing interest of individuals towards American literature. This is the reason why the book highlights a different aspect of writing and reading with the help of the different chapters discussed in it. The chapters have majorly focused on the elements of an essay. Different chapters tell about how to write about literature followed by the elements of an essay and what is the writing process (Baym & Levine, 2012). The book has a serious contribution in the American Literary society and for every individual who reads it. It helps them to consider and improve their capabilities and skills regarding writing and reading American Literature. It has provoked the sense of improvement and enhancement among many individuals. Since the very first issue of the book, it has catered the historical American literature for the people ranging from the letters of Christopher Columbus to some exemplary American works such as Whitman’s ‘Song of Myself’ to American historical archives of different and diverse authors (Baym & Levine, 2012). Every edition is different from the preceding as obviously it has been edited and completed keeping the requirements and wants of the people of that period. The latest edition has been added with literature, examples, in-text images, and complete works. Since, it is noticed that literary writings and reading concepts have been altering; continuous changes are being made which often confuses the people of that particular era regarding it. This has also led towards the publishing of the ‘Norton Anthology on American Literature’ (Bayne). At one hand, an increase has been noticed among people who are taking interests towards American literature, on the contrary, the young generation is moving away and is not aware of the high American history and the artistic traditions. However, literature is a guide to help individuals defining the American identity. This piece of American literary work is a complete history lesson, an insight to some of the most famous, passionate, and genius people who have contributed their part in the formation of the country. Moreover, the book also includes historical poems and prose which are ever written in the history of American literature (Bayne). The U.S. is a young nation. The literary history of this nation has been prominently and prolifically covered in this anthology. The anthology also covers the transformation and the development of authors in the contemporary world. The literary shift from that of the Native American folk tales to the work of those such as Toni Morrison and Allen Ginsberg has also been discussed in it (Bayne). The Norton Anthology of American Literature beautifully covers and reflects the cross sectional view of American society and the problems which are being faced by it. The anthology comprises over poetry and prose giving an efficient insight to the readers regarding the American literature. There were many factors that have promoted and provoked the need for this piece of writing and its continuation with 8 successful issues. The shorter eight edition volume 2 written by Nina Baym gained much popularity and attention of the literary writers, critics, and historians. It is a complete journey with some most famous, prominent, intelligent, and beautiful poems and other literary and historical pieces of writings. Reference List Baym, N., & Levine, R. S. (2012). Bayne, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Eight Edition, Volumes 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Department of English. (2013). Robert S. Levine. Retrieved from english.umd.edu: http://www.english.umd.edu/featured_profiles/1379 Read More