Overview: Now in full color and containing important new material, the updated Backgrounds to American Literature set places the entire span of American literature in its historical, cultural, and social context. Each illustrated, engaging volume explores a particular period's political, religious, cultural, economic, and social trends and discusses how they affected the literature of the time. Accessible and easy-to-use, this revised set is ideal for students seeking a deeper understanding of American literature. Each title includes: Full-color illustrations relating to the literature of the period; A glossary of relevant terms and a biographical glossary; Sidebars with extracts from notable works, biographical anecdotes, and more; A timeline of social, literary and historical developments; Recommended works for further reading; An index, appendixes, and cross-references and more. Romanticism and Transcendentalism (1800-1860), Second Edition provides important information on the foundations of romantic thought, romanticism and the new nation, gothic romance and sentimentalism, Transcendentalism, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, and romanticism and poetic voice. New to this edition is a section discussing Transcendentalists and the American Indian.