Capitalism in Early American Literature: Texts and Contexts

"Capitalism in Early American Literature: Texts and Contexts" is a literary history that shows how the idea of America as the land of capitalist enterprise - where rewards are always commensurate with productivity - came to flourish in our national literature. Covering the colonial period, the early national period, and the Jacksonian period, this study examines a variety of writers, including many of our best early writers of fiction, who chronicle and celebrate - and sometimes condemn - the vision of America as the land of economic opportunity.