Handbook of American Popular Literature

by M. Thomas Inge (Editor)

Overview

[The] essays are generally very well done, providing excellent and succinct overviews of such areas as Westerns, detective novels, comic books, and writing for children and young adults. Library Jourbanal

On the whole the essays are informative and analytical. The bibliographies range from two pages for the children's series, ‘Big Little Books,' to 11 pages for ‘Detective and Mystery Novels' and contain material published as early as 1856 as well as material published in 1987, so coverage for the purposes of scholarly research is broad. Reference Books Bulletin

This collection of bibliographic essays is designed to serve as a reference to the existing commentary and scholarship on the main forms of past and present popular literature. It consists of essays on many of the popular genres including detective and mystery novels, Westerns, science fiction, romance and gothic novels, comic books, and writing for children and young adults. Each essay surveys the historic development of the genre and presents a critical guide to the reference works on the subject. Also included are a discussion of research centers and collections of primary and secondary materials, an evaluative overview of criticism on the subject, and a checklist of works cited and jourbanals in the field.

This is the first volume to provide bibliographic access to information about the major forms of popular literature in the United States. Increasing reader demand for these popular genres and the growing trend whereby writers of serious fiction are 'crossing over' into science fiction, murder mysteries, and other popular forms are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between serious and popular literature. Accordingly, the growing appeal of popular fiction is best understood when placed within the larger context of American literature and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313254055
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/07/1988
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

M. THOMAS INGE is the Robert Emory Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph-Macon College.

Table of Contents

Preface
Best Sellers by Suzanne Ellery Greene and Robert G. Sewell
Big Little Books by Ray Barfield
Children's Literature by R. Gordon Kelly
Comic Books by M. Thomas Inge
Detective and Mystery Novels by Larry N. Landrum
Fantasy by Roger C. Schlobin
Gothic Novels by Kay Mussell
Historical Fiction by R. Gordon Kelly
Popular History and Biography by John Scott Wilson
Pulps and Dime Novels by Bill Blackbeard
Romantic Fiction by Kay Mussell
Science Fiction by Marshall B. Tymn
Verse and Popular Poetry by Janice Radway and Perry Frank
Westerns by Richard W. Etulain
Young Adult Fiction by Alleen Pace Nilsen and Ken Donelsen

Editorial Reviews

This title is part of the publisher's plan to revise the three-volume Handbook of American Popular Culture (Greenwood, 1979-1981). Ten essays on popular literature from the previous work have been revised and updated and five completely new essays added. Each follows a standard format: an historical survey of the field, followed by a critical guide to reference works, a discussion of major research centers, an overview of histories and criticism, and a checklist of works cited and journals in the field. Though definitions of some of the genres are remarkably vague, the essays are generally very well done, providing excellent and succinct overviews of such areas as Westerns, detective novels, comic books, and writing for children and young adults. Libraries may want to consider as a collection development aid. Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mich.

Library Journal