Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. A Catastrophic Commencement:George Tucker's The Valley of Shenandoah; 3. Salvational Hybridizations:John P. Kennedy's Swallow Barn; 4. Tilting the Balance:Kennedy's and Caruthers' Historical Romances; 5. Sacrificing Dialectics:William G. Simms's The Partisan; 6. From ""Romance"" to Real Politics:Nathaniel B. Tucker's The Partisan Leader; 7. The Breaking Point:""Romance"" and the Market Revolution; 8. From Ethos to Pathos:William G. Simms's Woodcraft; 9. The ""Romance"" of Contingency:John E. Cooke's Virginia Comedians; 10. Conclusion