Louise Manly’s Southern Literature From 1579–1895 is a comprehensive survey and anthology of writing produced in the American South from the earliest colonial period through the end of the nineteenth century. Designed for use in schools and by general readers, the book covers poetry, oratory, fiction, history, and essay, providing critical commentary and generous extracts from authors ranging from early explorers and colonial clergy to antebellum novelists and postbellum writers.
As an early effort to define and canonize a regional literary tradition, Manly’s anthology is itself a historical document, reflecting the priorities and blind spots of a Southern literary establishment in the post-Reconstruction era. Download this free EPUB for a wide-ranging survey of Southern American letters.