American literature's aesthetic dimensions / edited by Cindy Weinstein and Christopher Looby.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Aesthetics and the politics of freedom -- part 2. Aesthetics and the representation of sexuality -- part 3. Aesthetics and the reading of form -- part 4. Aesthetics and the question of theory.

In these diverse essays, leading critics recast the place of aesthetics in the production and consumption of literature. Rethinking the category of aesthetics in light of recent developments in literary theory and social criticism, contributors showcase the interpretive possibilities available to those who bring politics, culture, ideology, and conceptions of identity into their critiques. Deploying a distinctive range of methodologies, essays combine close readings of individual works and authors with more theoretical discussions of aesthetic theory and its relation to American li.