Major Characters in American Fiction

"No other works specifically devoted to character seek to provide such detail" as this compendium of biographies of American literary characters ( Library Journal ). Major Characters in American Fiction is the perfect companion for everyone who loves literature—students, book clubs, and serious readers at every level.  Developed at Columbia University's Center for American Culture Studies, Major Characters in American Fiction offers in-depth essays on the "lives" of more than 1,500 characters, figures as varied in ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, age, and experience as we are. Inhabiting fictional works written from 1790 to 1991, the characters are presented in biographical essays that tell each one's life story. They are drawn from novels and short stories that represent ever era, genre, and style of American fiction writing—Natty Bumppo of the Leatherstocking Tales, Celie of The Color Purple, and everyone in between. "[An] interesting resource." — School Library Journal "A readable work that would be accessible to both high-school students and patrons of the public library." — Booklist