The American theorists Henry James, Lionel Trilling and Wayne C. Booth have revolutionized our understanding of narrative or story-telling, and have each championed the novel as an art form. Concepts from their work have become part of the fabric of novel criticism today, influencing theorists, authors and readers alike.
Emphasizing the crucial relationship between the work of these three critics, Peter Rawlings explores their understanding of the novel form, and investigates their ideas on:

This book explores landmark criticism on a writer who continues to command critical attention. In addition to mapping out the existing critical terrain, these essays offer a sense of future trajectories in James studies. Essays consider James' own criticism and theories of narrative and architecture, James' letters, money and globalization.

In this volume, leading scholars assess the contribution of four major U.S. literary figures to the afterlife and reception of Shakespeare and his plays. Focusing on Emerson (in his essays), Melville (in Moby Dick and Pierre), James (in his short stories, prefaces and criticism) and Berryman (in his poetry and editing of Shakespeare), each essay assesses the double impact of Shakespeare on the figure covered and of the figure on the understanding, interpretation and appreciation of Shakespeare.