American Classics (Omnibus Edition) (Diversion Classics)
Jun 2015 · Diversion Books
3.8star
4 reviewsreport
Ebook
1982
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About this ebook
Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms.
In this collection of classics, five seminal tales come together to form a picture of America in its youth, but on the cusp of growing up. These stories defined and challenged the standards of American literature, and their influence is immeasurable. Including Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER, Herman Melville's MOBY DICK, James Fenimore Cooper's THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, Washington Irving's THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, and Jack London's THE CALL OF THE WILD, this anthology edition is perfect for the voracious reader.
In this collection of classics, five seminal tales come together to form a picture of America in its youth, but on the cusp of growing up. These stories defined and challenged the standards of American literature, and their influence is immeasurable. Including Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER, Herman Melville's MOBY DICK, James Fenimore Cooper's THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, Washington Irving's THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, and Jack London's THE CALL OF THE WILD, this anthology edition is perfect for the voracious reader.
Ratings and reviews
3.8
4 reviews
About the author
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. When he was four years old, his father died. Years later, with financial help from his maternal relatives who recognized his literary talent, Hawthorne was able to enroll in Bowdoin College. Among his classmates were the important literary and political figures Horatio Bridge, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Franklin Pierce. These friends supplied Hawthorne with employment during the early years after graduation while Hawthorne was still establishing himself as a legitimate author. Hawthorne's first novel, Fanshawe, which he self-published in 1828, wasn't quite the success that he had hoped it would be. Not willing to give up, he began writing stories for Twice-Told Tales. These stories established Hawthorne as a leading writer. In 1842, Hawthorne moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where he wrote a number of tales, including "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "Young Goodman Brown," that were later published as Mosses from an Old Manse. The overall theme of Hawthorne's novels was a deep concern with ethical problems of sin, punishment, and atonement. No one novel demonstrated that more vividly than The Scarlet Letter. This tale about the adulterous Puritan Hester Prynne is regarded as Hawthorne's best work and is a classic of American literature. Other famous novels written by Hawthorne include The House of Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance. In 1852, Hawthorne wrote a campaign biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce. After Pierce was elected as President of the United States, he rewarded Hawthorne with the Consulship at Liverpool, England. Hawthorne died in his sleep on May 19, 1864, while on a trip with Franklin Pierce.
Washington Irving, one of the first Americans to achieve international recognition as an author, was born in New York City in 1783. His A History of New York, published in 1809 under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, was a satirical history of New York that spanned the years from 1609 to 1664. Under another pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon, he wrote The Sketch-book, which included essays about English folk customs, essays about the American Indian, and the two American stories for which he is most renowned--"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." Irving served as a member of the U.S. legation in Spain from 1826 to 1829 and as minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. Following his return to the U.S. in 1846, he began work on a five-volume biography of Washington that was published from 1855-1859. Washington Irving died in 1859 in New York.
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