The History of American Literature on Film

From William Dickson''s Rip Van Winkle films (1896) to Baz Luhrmann''s big-budget production of The Great Gatsby (2013) and beyond cinematic adaptations of American literature participate in a rich and fascinating history. Unlike previous studies of American literature and film which emphasize particular authors like Edith Wharton and Nathaniel Hawthorne particular texts like Moby-Dick particular literary periods like the American Renaissance or particular genres like the novel this volume considers the multiple functions of filmed American literature as a cinematic genre in its own right-one that reflects the specific political and aesthetic priorities of different national and historical cinemas even as it plays a decisive role in defining American literature for a global audience.