Paul Giles Books

Examining the period from 1730 to 1860, the book explores the intricate and paradoxical connections between English and American literature. It highlights how the development of literary traditions in both cultures relied on their interactions and negotiations across the Atlantic. Through this lens, the author reveals the complexities of cultural exchange and the influences that shaped each nation's literary identity during this transformative era.

Exploring the intersection of Catholicism and American arts, Paul Giles examines how secular interpretations of religious concepts influenced the works of notable writers and artists, including Orestes Brownson and Alfred Hitchcock. The book delves into the representation and mythologization of Catholicism in American literature, challenging traditional views on romanticism's dominance in the literary canon. By reconstructing the social, historical, and philosophical contexts of Catholic aesthetics, Giles reveals their complex relationship with Enlightenment ideals.

The book explores the significant impact of James Joyce's early works on Stephen Crane's writing. Dr. Giles analyzes the stylistic and thematic parallels between the two authors, highlighting how Joyce's innovative narrative techniques and character development shaped Crane's literary approach. Through detailed comparisons, the author reveals the interconnectedness of their works, offering insights into the evolution of modernist literature. This examination deepens the understanding of Crane's contributions and his place within the literary canon.

The book explores the influence of American ideas on English literary figures from 1776 to today, highlighting the works of notable authors such as Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, D. H. Lawrence, P. G. Wodehouse, and Angela Carter. It examines how their experiences of emigration or engagement with American culture have shaped their writing, offering insights into the transatlantic literary relationship.

A scholarly review of American world literature from early times to the postmodernist era American World Literature: An Introduction explores how the subject of American Literature has evolved from a national into a global phenomenon. As the author, Paul Giles – a noted expert on the topic – explains, today American Literature is understood as engaging with the wider world rather than merely with local or national circumstances. The book offers an examination of these changing conceptions of representation in both a critical and an historical context. The author examines how the perception of American culture has changed significantly over time and how this has been an object of widespread social and political debate. From examples of early American literature to postmodernism, the book charts ways in which the academic subject areas of American Literature and World Literature have converged – and diverged – over the past generations. Written for students of American literature at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and in all areas of historical specialization, American World Literature offers an authoritative guide to global phenomena of American World literature and how this subject has undergone crucial changes in perception over the past thirty years.