A Companion to American Literary Studies addresses the most provocative questions, subjects, and issues animating the field. Essays provide readers with the knowledge and conceptual tools for understanding American literary studies as it is practiced today, and chart new directions for the future of the subject. * Offers up-to-date accounts of major new critical approaches to American literary studies * Presents state-of-the-art essays on a full range of topics central to the field * Essays explore critical and institutional genealogies of the field, increasingly diverse conceptions of American literary study, and unprecedented material changes such as the digital revolution * A unique anthology in the field, and an essential resource for libraries, faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates