The origins of American literature studies : an institutional history / Elizabeth Renker.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-211) and index.

Print version record.

Although American literature is a standard subject in the American college curriculum, a century ago few people thought it should be taught there. Elizabeth Renker uncovers the complex historical process through which American literature overcame its image of aesthetic and historical inferiority to become an important field for academic study and research. Renker's extensive original archival research focuses on four institutions of higher education serving distinct regional, class, race and gender populations. She argues that American literature's inferior image arose from its affiliation with non-elite schools, teachers and students, and that it had to overcome this social identity in order to achieve status as serious knowledge. Renker's revisionary analysis is an important contribution to the intellectual history of the United States and will be of interest to anyone studying, teaching or researching American literature.

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1 The birth of the Ph. D.: The Johns Hopkins research model; Chapter 2 Seminary wars: female teachers and the seminary model at Mount Holyoke; Chapter 3 Higher education for African Americans: competing models at Wilberforce University; Chapter 4 Literary value and the land-grant model: The Ohio State University; Conclusion: the end of the curriculum; Notes; Bibliography; Archives consulted; Index

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