Books by Claudia Stokes

We celebrate innovation and experimentation, but Claudia Stokes reminds us that nineteenth-century American writers instead valued familiarity and traditionalism, which provided reliable markers of literary quality. Old Style examines the varied uses and expressions of unoriginality, which helped credential marginalized writers.

Presenting an analysis of the American literary history, this work offers important insights into the practices, beliefs, and values that shaped the discipline. It reveals the forces, both inside and outside the academy, that propelled the rise of American literary history and persist as influences on the work of practitioners of the field.