Project Gutenberg 2010-03-25 Public domain in the USA. 114 Rocchietti, Joseph Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America Ralph Janke and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) "Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America" by Joseph Rocchetti is a critical treatise exploring literature and cultural identity written in the mid-19th century. The book delves into the reasons behind the absence of a robust national literature in America, arguing that the American populace, composed largely of European descendants, possesses the same potential for artistic greatness as their antecedents. Rocchetti contends that the literary landscape is stifled not by the youth of the nation, but rather by prevailing attitudes and practices that undervalue traditional forms of literature and fail to encourage true artistic expression. At the start of the work, the author introduces his thesis by refuting the notion that America's lack of classical writers is due to its 'young' status as a nation. Instead, he asserts that the American identity is steeped in the cultural and literary heritage of Europe. Rocchetti emphasizes that a genuine national literature can only emerge when Americans are encouraged to appreciate and strive for higher standards of literary output, rather than indulging in light, superficial works. He critiques the current fashionable literature that trivializes serious themes through humor and sarcasm, indicating that a return to classical standards would cultivate profound artistic talent in the U.S. This opening sets the stage for a more expansive discourse on the interplay of culture, identity, and literature in America. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 60.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en American literature United States -- Social life and customs PS Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 188724 2025-08-13T06:16:41.664409 text/html 189348 2023-07-19T09:33:36 text/html 321550 2025-08-13T06:16:45.003430 application/epub+zip 322269 2025-08-13T06:16:42.631425 application/epub+zip 178695 2025-08-13T06:16:42.077421 application/epub+zip 393866 2025-08-13T06:16:47.195359 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 373371 2025-08-13T06:16:44.644371 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 163152 2022-09-14T14:46:16.389032 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 176197 2025-08-13T06:16:41.493382 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 175920 2023-07-20T06:20:01 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18428 2025-08-13T06:16:47.319449 application/rdf+xml 13423 2025-08-13T06:16:42.343358 image/jpeg 2355 2025-08-13T06:16:42.204401 image/jpeg 65221 2023-07-20T06:20:01 application/octet-stream application/zip 304232 2023-07-19T09:39:18 application/octet-stream application/zip 322057 2025-08-13T06:16:41.683394 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog