Critical Introduction: Reaction

In learning about the literature of the mid-nineteenth century America, this critical introduction has made me really knowledgeable about the nineteenth century in general. Almost like going through an American history course, this assignment has made me research the time, the people, and the style of writing. In my critical introduction I am looking into the different and most important publishing companies in America of the mid-nineteenth century. . A particular article, “Literary Notices,” describes the famous literary pieces of the time and their publishers. Ticknor and Fields, W.A. Townsend and Company, and Harper and Brothers, were all prominent publishing companies of the mid-nineteenth century that played a significant role in keeping the literate American population informed by publishing literature by the most famous authors of the time. Many times, the novels published would foreshadow the eminent Civil War that was to come two years later.
I think I have enjoyed this assignment because it has refreshed my memory regarding the Civil War of 1861 from a different perspective. One is usually taught about the Civil War through the facts provided by history textbooks. This assignment, however, has given me a more personal perspective on the war. By reading excerpts from the novels listed under the "Literary Notices" article in the March, 1859 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, I can tell that most of the major novels of the time were mainly about the main concerns of the time. The main concerns revolved around discrimination and the inequality faced by the different ethnic groups. This assignment has been very informative.