American literature has been distinguished by short fiction from its inception. The folk-drawn tales of the Hudson Valley of Washington Irving, the probing of psychological interiority in Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, and the examination of Puritan origins in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “articles” identified and portrayed particular elements of an emerging nation. As each author sought to grasp and frame some aspect of a national experience, they tended to focus on a “place” that fascinated them. The range and scope of the massive American nation compelled this kind of concentration, an approach refined and extended notably by William Faulkner in the creation of the Yoknapatwapha county in Mississippi, and with stunning commercial …
3847 words
Citation: Lewis, Leon. "The Swimmer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35047, accessed 07 October 2024.]