The Columbiad A Poem By Joel Barlow

The Columbiad: A Poem by Joel Barlow is a rare manuscript, the original residing in some of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, typed out and formatted to perfection, allowing new generations to enjoy the work. Publishers of the Valley's mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life.

Celebrating the victory of American ideals, this poem is a patriotic epic written in neo-classical heroic couplets. Displaying a vigorous support of Jeffersonian democratic idealism, this reflects the sentiment of 'The Vision of Columbus', late 18th-century America's most popular poem.

Steven Blakemore offers a close reading of The Columbiad within the context of contemporary national debates over the significance of America. In doing so, he helps the reader understand the variety of national discourses that Barlow was promoting, challenging, or subverting. Long neglected, The Columbiad fundamentally engages the core issues and strategies of national self-definition and the creation of a vital republican culture. This book will appeal to all those interested in early American literature, the literature of the early Republic, and American literary nationalism.