American Authors - Directory of Online Resources


Humanities > English Studies > American Literature> Authors The following authors have their own pages (more to follow):

See also American Poetry

 

 

Harlem Renaissance Authors

Harlem Renaissance - Index
From PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide by Paul P. Reuben

Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964
"...Congress consists of 1,395 photographs taken by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) between 1932 and 1964. The bulk of the collection consists of portrait photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. A much smaller portion of the collection is an assortment of American landscapes.
- American Memory, Library of Congress

 

See also Zora Neale Hurston below

Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou- A Bibliography of Literary Criticism
By Jay Brandes, Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian, Troy State University Florida Region

Maya Angelou Home Page
Includes video, audio, an interview, and commentary about Angelou's works
University of Texas

 

Jim Carroll

CatholicBoy.com
The Jim Carroll Website
"Carroll is best known as a sort of post-punk cultural icon primarily because of his 1978 book The Basketball Diaries, and the controversial 1995 film adaptation of that book starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Carroll is also known for his 1980 song 'People Who Died,' which is often called a 'punk anthem.'"

Raymond Carver
Carver: The Raymond Carver Web Site
"...will find a wealth of information regarding Ray's world, including a detailed biography and chronology by Professor William Stull, photographs from Tess Gallagher's home photo album, a complete bibliography of Ray's work, even four working drafts of Ray's poem Shooting."
Maintained by Tom Luce

 

Willa Cather
Willa Cather Page

One of Ours
By Willa Cather, 1922.
Online edition published by Bartleby.com, 2000.
"Pulitzer Prizeñwinning novel of a midwestern Americanís journey to the front of World War I."

 

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

The James Fenimore Cooper Society
 "Our intent is to provide a central location for Cooper studies at all levels, including texts to otherwise hard-to-find materials, biographic and bibliographic information, reference materials of all sorts, a large and constantly growing library of scholarly papers and articles about his writings, with suitable indexes for locating articles of interest, information on the Cooper Society and on ongoing events, and links to as many as possible Cooper texts and other materials to be found on the internet."


Susan Fenimore Cooper (1813-1894)
Susan Fenimore Cooper
 "This page is devoted to the life and writings of Susan Fenimore Cooper (1813-1894), eldest daughter of James Fenimore Cooper and a distinguished writer and naturalist. She is best known for her nature diary of Cooperstown, Rural Hours, first published in 1850 and frequently reprinted. But she also wrote a novel, Elinor Wyllys; or, The Young Folk of Longbridge (1846), short stories, children's stories, and articles on a wide variety of subjects including nature."
From the The James Fenimore Cooper Society site.

 


Don DeLillo
The Don DeLillo Society
 "Over the past two decades, DeLillo scholarship has grown to include topics as diverse as postmodernity, historiography, systems theory, technology, film, and literary Naturalism, to name but a few. As the body of critical literature and topics for discussion continue to expand, the Don DeLillo Society seeks to facilitate the exchange of ideas between scholars, critics, teachers, and general readers."

Dickinson Electronic Archives
"...the Collective is editing images of her manuscripts for electronic distribution so that all her readers can enjoy her graphic productions. By gaining a more vivid and nuanced sense of the hand-to-hand circulation of her work that Dickinson and her contemporary readers witnessed, Dickinson's 21st-century readers are likely to deepen and broaden understandings of her poetic project."

The Dickinson Discussion List
"We discuss issues in recent scholarship, offer announcements of events and publications of interest, and discuss what draws us to the work of this poet."

Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS)

 

Rudolph Fisher

Rudolph Fisher Newsletter
 "...is a biannually published online newsletter (Summer and Winter) devoted to disseminating news and research-related information to Rudolph Fisher scholars, enthusiasts, and students. No subscription is required; access is free of charge."
Includes a well annotated section of "resources for further study."
Edited by Craig Gable

Ford Madox Ford
Joseph Conrad & Ford Madox Ford- The Collaborative Texts
"...this site provides reliable electronic versions of each of the collaborative texts -- The Inheritors, Romance and The Nature of A Crime -- as well as Joseph Conrad: A Personal Remembrance, along with a discussion of the historical background to the collaboration."
By Marc Demarest

 

 

Ralph Ellison (1914-1994)

"The American writer Ralph Waldo Ellison, b. Oklahoma City, Okla., Mar. 1, 1914, achieved international fame with his first novel, Invisible Man (1952). He was influenced early by the myth of the frontier, viewing the United States as a land of "infinite possibilities." The close-knit black community in which he grew up supplied him with images of courage and endurance and an interest in music."

American Masters - Ralph Ellison : An American Journey
Section include: Feature Essay ; Career Timeline ; Filmmaker Interview ; Additional Footage

 

"A Critical Look at Ellison's Fiction & at Social & Literary Criticism by and about the Author." [an excerpt]
By Ernest Kaiser
Originally published in Black World (December 1970)
From Prof. Al Filreis' Ellison page

"Profile of an American Novelist, A White View of Ralph Ellison" [an excerpt]
By John Corry
Originally published in Black World (December 1970)
From Prof. Al Filreis' Ellison page

Ralph Ellison
A general introduction with a handful of links

Ralph Ellison Practices
Brief bio with photo from the Library of Congress' Voices from the Thirties

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
By Al Filreis, English Dept., University of Pennsylvania

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson Home Page
Sections include Biography, Portraits, Essays, Poems, Other Works, Analysis, Quotes, and Related Topics
By Jone Johnson

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1744)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Includes: Selected Bibliography & Discussion Questions for The Blithedale Romance ; Hawthorne Crossword Puzzle ; Links ; Selected Works Online
From American Authors by Donna M. Campbell, Dept. of English, Gonzaga University

Nathaniel Hawthorne Lecture Hall Discussion Forum
"This lecture hall is devoted to all contemplations, musings, and queries concerning Nathaniel Hawthorne."

Nathaniel Hawthorne Society

 

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)

Library of Congress - American Memory

  • The Zora Neale Hurston Plays at the Library of Congress
    "...present a selection of ten plays written by Hurston (1891-1960), author, anthropologist, and folklorist. Deposited in the United States Copyright Office between 1925 and 1944, most of the plays remained unpublished and unproduced until they were rediscovered in the Copyright Deposit Drama Collection in 1997."

Harlem Renaissance - Zora Neale Hurston
Includes Links ; Primary Works ; Selected Bibliography ; Study Questions
From PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide by Paul P. Reuben

 

Zora Neale Hurston
Brief bio with photo from the Library of Congress' Voices from the Thirties

Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities

Ernest Hemingway
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
Key West, Florida

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library

  • The Ernest Hemingway Collection
    Includes The Catalog of the Ernest Hemingway Collection: Manuscripts ; Hemingway Research Grants ; Essays by Megan F. Desnoyers ; Hemingway's Library: A Composite Record ; Hemingway's Reading: An Inventory.

Picturing Hemingway: A Writer in His Time
An exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery
Sections include: Beginnings ; Paris Years ; Middle Years ; Later Years ; Book.

Timeless Hemingway
Includes photos, help center, links, quotations, and answers to common questions.
By Josh Silverstein

Henry James
Henry James Scholar's Guide to Web Sites
An extensive and well organized listing of web resources and etexts
By Richard D. Hathaway, Professor of English, SUNY

Conferences and Calls for Papers relating to Henry James

Robinson Jeffers
Jeffers Studies
Includes Current Issue, General Info, Bibliography, Related Links, Archive, Teach Jeffers, Book Reviews, Forum, R.J.A., Ongoing Projects, Chronology

 

William Kennedy

New York State Writers Institute and William Kennedy Home Page

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)

Jack Kerouac and Beats
A Jack Kerouac Newszine

Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird & Harper Lee
Sections include: FAQ ; Events ; Novel ; Film ; Test ; Other Works ; Readings ; Biography ; Monroeville ; References ; Why ; Outside Links ; Discussions
By Jane Kansas

Jack London (1876-1916)

Jack London State Historic Park
Sonoma County, CA

Jack London's Ranch Album: A Pictorial Biography
Includes: Online Text ; Biography ; Photos ; Agriculture Experiment.

 

Utah State University Special Collections & Archives - Digital Exhibits

  • Jack London Book Collection
    "This exhibit features an image of the cover and title page of each book as well as London's inscription and photograph. The pictures range from vacation snapshots to family portraits to pin-up photos of London himself."

 

David Matheson

ReadingGroupGuides.com - Red Thunder by David Matheson
"A reading guide for Red Thunder offering discussion questions, an author interview, and a book excerpt."

Herman Melville
The Life and Works of Herman Melville
Sections include Breaking News, Biographical The Works, The Game, & PostScript. Links to 4 different electronic editions of Moby-Dick, and a chart of Melville's literary earnings.
Maintained by James Madden

 

 

John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill Links
Sections include: Writings by JSM ; Writings about JSM ; Reviews ; General Sites.
Maintained by Pablo Stafforini

Toni Morrison - See American Literature: Toni Morrison

 

Joyce Carol Oates
Celestial Timepiece: A Joyce Carol Oates Home Page
This well designed site includes Latest & Forthcoming Publications; Lectures, Appearances, & Events; Awards, Prizes, Honors; Works; Bibliography; Biography; JCO Archive; Photographs; and subscription information and archives for the JCO Discussion Group.
Maintained by Randy Souther


__________

Edgar Allan Poe
The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
Includes: General Topics ; Works of Poe ; Selection of Lectures and Articles on Poe ; Articles from Dark Romanticism ; Info about Poe in Baltimore

The House of Usher: Edgar Allan Poe

The Poe Foundation and Museum of Richmond

Poe Studies / Dark Romanticism
Information page for the print journal. Some early volumes are available online from the Poe Society of Baltimore

The Poe Studies Association


John Steinbeck
Steinbeck Research Center - San Jose State University

The Grapes of Web
A Digital Companion To California's Statewide Reading Program
"...is lii.org's contribution to this state-wide reading project. Through a constellation of freely-accessible Internet resources, travel with the Joads across the country and into Weedpatch Camp, explore the history of this novel's creation and its critical aftermath, then learn more about John Steinbeck, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the world of migrant agricultural workers."
lii.org - Librarians' Index to the Internet

The New Criterion

Of Mice and Men
The Student Survival Guide
"This web site is designed to be an annotative guide to the novel (annotations are notes that explain things). As you travel through the site, you'll find hundreds of definitions to help you get more out of your reading. There are also numerous pictures and web links to further enhance your study. Explore, learn, and have fun!"
By Nancy Louise Rutherford

 

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture
A Multi-Media Archive
Use this site in three different "modes" :
Browse Mode "provides access to all the primary material in the archive -- texts, images, songs, 3-D objects, film clips, &c. -- one at a time."
Search Mode "allows you to search all the primary material at once. You can either use or cut across the site's organizational categories."
Interpret Mode "includes an interactive timeline, virtual exhibits designed to suggest ways of exploring and understanding the primary material, as well as lesson plans for teachers and student projects."
Directed by Stephen Railton, Dept. of English, University of Virginia

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
"...is to preserve and interpret Harriet Beecher Stoweís Hartford home and the Centerís historic collections, create a forum for vibrant discussion of her life and work, and inspire individuals to embrace and emulate her commitment to social justice by effecting positive change."

 

Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site
"...commemorates the life of Reverend Josiah Henson and his contributions to the famous Underground Railroad. It was Henson's life experiences that inspired Ms. Stowe's creation of the character Uncle Tom in her 1852 outcry against slavery."

 

Henry D. Thoreau (1817-1742)

Thoreau, Walden, and the Environment
Sections include: Thoreau Home ; Walden Woods Project ; Thoreau Society ; Thoreau Institute.

  • Henry D. Thoreau Home Page - (dead link)
    Sections include: Overviews ; Writings ; Life ; Contemporary ; Times ; Country ; Sources ; Subjects/Topics ; Scholarship.

Mark Twain - Go to American Literature: Mark Twain

 

 

Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989)

Robert Penn Warren
Academic site "honoring the life and works of Robert Penn Warren."

Western Kentucky University - Center for Robert Penn Warren Studies

 

Western Kentucky University Libraries - Robert Penn Warren Library

 

Edith Wharton (1742-1937)

Edith Wharton (1742-1937)
By Donna M. Campbell, Dept. of English, Gonzaga University, Spokane

Edith Wharton Collection, Beinecke Library, Yale University

The Edith Wharton Society
"...offers Wharton scholars and other interested persons an opportunity to share in the study and appreciation of the life and works of this author. Through annual meetings, sessions, special conferences, and its journal, The Edith Wharton Review, the Society provides a forum for Wharton studies...The Society also sponsors a discussion list, WHARTON-L."

Edith Wharton's World: Portraits of People and Places
Smithsonian Institution - The National Portrait Gallery Exhibition

Lilly Library Wharton Manuscripts Collection, Indiana University


Walt Whitman
Mickle Street Review
An Electronic Journal of Whitman and American Studies
Part of the Camden Online Poetry Project

Poet at Work
Recovered Notebooks from the Thomas Biggs Harned Walt Whitman Collection
"This collection offers access to the four Walt Whitman Notebooks and a cardboard butterfly that disappeared from the Library of Congress in 1942. They were returned on February 24, 1995."
- American Memory Project, Library of Congress

The Walt Whitman Archive
"...The archive is a structured database holding digitized images of Whitman's works in their original documentary forms. Whitman's poetical manuscripts, early printed texts -- including proofs and first editions -- are stored in the archive, in full color when possible, and available as needed. The materials are marked up for electronic search and analysis, and they are supplied with full scholarly annotations and notes."
By Charles B. Green

Walt Whitman Quarterly Review
"Visit us for news, announcements, bibliography, notes, articles and back orders. Also available on this site is a complete index to the journal."
Articles are not available online.