Beschreibung:
What unites and what divides Americans as a nation? Who are Americans, and can they strike a balance between an emphasis on divergent ethnic origins and what they have in common? Opening with a survey of American literature through the vantage point of ethnicity, Werner Sollors examines Americans evolving understanding of themselves and the key role writing has played in that process.
Introduction 3 1 Literature and Ethnicity 19 2 National Identity and Ethnic Diversity 67 3 Dedicated to a Proposition 95 4 A Critique of Pure Pluralism 121 5 The Multiculturalism Debate as Cultural Text 145 Notes 177 Acknowledgments 205 Index 207