These contributions present a selection of American writers in the light of their broad cultural attitudes and suggest the relationships between their individual achievements and some major issues affecting life in America. The works thus examined range from the subliterary narrative to the sophisticated artistic performance. All of them reveal through their inner duality, a prevailing tension between literary modes of self-expression and collective interpretations of the national heritage. The ethnic, political or philosophical dimension of American literature is evaluated with reference to the mythopoeic experience.