The collection features essays that examine how authors of the 20th and 21st centuries continue the use of sentimental forms and tropes of 19th century literature. Current literary and cultural critical consensus seems to maintain that Americans engaged in a turn-of-the-century refutation of the sentimental mode; however, the analysis in these essays of 20th and 21st century narratives reveals ongoing use of sentimental expression that draws upon its ability to instruct and influence readers through their emotions.

While these later narratives employ aspects of the sentimental mode,...