An indispensable tool for teachers and students of American literature, Reading the American Novel 1865-1914 provides a comprehensive introduction to the American novel in the post-civil war period. * Locates American novels and stories within a specific historical and literary context * Offers fresh analyses of key selected literary works * Addresses a wide audience of academics and non-academics in clear, accessible prose * Demonstrates the changing mentality of 19th-century America entering the 20th century * Explores the relationship between the intellectual and artistic output of the time and the turbulent socio-political context