Fictions of Mass Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America

Discover the intricate relationship between literature and politics in Fictions of Mass Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America by Stacey Margolis. Published by Cambridge University Press in 2015, this insightful hardback features 226 pages that delve into how mass democracy was perceived in an era before public opinion polls took hold.

Margolis expertly analyzes the works of renowned authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Fanny Fern, Harriet Jacobs, and James Fenimore Cooper. Through their novels, she reveals how these writers grappled with the concept of a public shaped by political discourse and informal social networks. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in American fiction, history, and the evolution of democratic thought in the 19th century.

Enhance your understanding of this pivotal period in American literature and society with Margolis's compelling exploration.