American Literature

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Herman Melville
Herman Melville belongs to the group of artists whose works grew in importance and stature after his death. Born in 1819, he published Moby Dick in1851, the year after Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin and the year before Hawthorne was to publish The Scarlet Letter.

Unlike his contemporaries, his career faded after the publication of Moby-Dick and he was actually considered a failure when he passed away in 1891. Fortunately, his work has been widely recognized since then and Melville has taken his place amongst the literary giants.