american dream in literature

Provides readers with an overview of literary works that explore the theme of the American dream. Analyzes poetry, plays, short stories, novels, and works of nonfiction that address this theme in some capacity, and how that theme has been treated in literature at different times in history and across diverse cultures.

Contains nineteen critical essays that explore the theme of the American dream in various works, including Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, " Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman, " Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass, " and others.