The monograph traces the evolution of the US novel in the nineteenth century. It presents essays on the least studied novels of Cooper, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, James, Adams, Norris, London. The unknown works of Orest Brownson, Lydia Maria Child and John Pendleton Kennedy are analyzed. The author of the book turns not only to the novel work of writers, but to their short stories, and in some cases to journalism, which helps to understand the connection between American literature and time. Particular attention is paid to the struggle of philosophical and aesthetic ideas in the cultural life of the United States and the reflection of works in the artistic structure.