Through close readings of texts by African American and women authors, Minority Reports offers a theoretical defense of the use of identity categories in American studies by examining how early American literature not only responds to the social stratification of the nineteenth century but also challenges modern historical conceptions of this era.

Through close readings of texts by African American and women authors, Minority Reports offers a theoretical defense of the use of identity categories in American studies by examining how early American literature not only responds to the social stratification of the nineteenth century but also challenges modern historical conceptions of this era.

This book addresses a central question in literary studies: how can a case be made for the field's value without an articulation of its social effects? In response, the book examines how readers "befriend" literary works and how such meetings directly contribute to cultural knowledge.