JOURNAL ARTICLE

Democracy and the Novel in the US: An Introduction.

  • Published In: American Literary History, 2023, v. 35, n. 1. P. 1 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Smith, Rachel Greenwald; Hutner, Gordon 3 of 3

Abstract

This article introduces a special issue focused on the relationship between democracy and the novel in the United States, using George Saunders's 2017 novel *Lincoln in the Bardo* as a starting point to explore how novels engage with the contradictions and crises of US liberal democracy. It examines how US democracy, historically rooted in settler colonialism, slavery, racial capitalism, and xenophobia, is critiqued and reimagined through various novelistic forms and genres, including experimental, speculative, and graphic novels. Contributors analyze how novels both reflect democratic failures and envision alternative democratic possibilities, addressing themes such as racial justice, ecological democracy, and political resistance across historical and contemporary contexts. The issue also considers debates about the novel's capacity to represent political action and its role in fostering empathy, social awareness, and democratic engagement amid ongoing challenges to US representative democracy.

Additional Information

  • Source:American Literary History. 2023/03, Vol. 35, Issue 1, p1
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0896-7148
  • DOI:10.1093/alh/ajac250
  • Accession Number:162272364
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