Whiteness and American Literature

This volume provides an illuminating exploration ofhow ideas about whiteness have shaped the literature and culture of the UnitedStates.Coveringnearly 250 years - from the 1790 Naturalization Act, which limited access tocitizenship to immigrants who were 'free white person[s],' to the present -Whitenessand American Literatureconsiders how a broad spectrum of novels, movies,short stories, television shows, poems, songs, and other worksdepictwhiteness. Thecollection'stwenty accessible and engaging chapters by renowned scholars analyzerepresentations of whiteness in a variety of historical periods, literarygenres, and aesthetic forms.Chapters also surveyscholarly work at thecrossroads of whiteness studies and disability studies, food studies, and otheracademic disciplines. Designed for scholars, students, and general readers, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in gaining a deeperunderstanding of the role whiteness plays in the US imagination.