In A Mirror for History , author Marc Egnal uses novels and art to provide a new understanding of American society. The book argues that the arc of middle-class culture reflects the evolution of the American economy from the near-subsistence agriculture of the 1750s to the extraordinarily unequal society of the twenty-first century. Fiction offers a rich source for this analysis. By delving deep into the souls of characters and their complex worlds, novels shed light on the dreams, hopes, and goals of individuals and reveal the structures that shape character’s lives. Additionally, paintings of the time periods expand upon these insights drawn from literature. Egnal’s lively exploration of the changing economy, fiction, art, and American values is organized into four expansive periods—the Sentimental Era, Genteel America, Modern Society, and Post-Modern America. Within that framework, A Mirror for History looks at topics such as masculinity, childhood, the status of women, the outlook of African Americans, the role of religion, and varying views of capitalism. Readers will be enthralled to find discussions of overlooked novels and paintings as well as discover new approaches to familiar pieces. A Mirror for History examines over one hundred authors and dozens of artists and their works, presented here in full color. A fascinating book that combines history, economics, literary criticism, and distant reading to offer a sweeping portrait of the rising and falling middle class in America by way of the ultimate middle-class art form, the novel. —Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War "Egnal has ‘plowed the sea’ of American literature and produced a sweeping, piercing work  endless with insight and magisterial in scope. “ –Junot Diaz, author of  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao “Egnal convincingly makes a case for how art reflects social and economic change. More than a book about novels,  A Mirror for History  is  an original piece of historical methodology. “ –Andrew Hartman, author of  Marx in America “   A Mirror for History introduces  an engaging and bold new way  of interpreting American social history.” –Elizabeth Abbott, author of A  History of Marriage A fascinating book that combines history, economics, literary criticism, and distant reading to offer a sweeping portrait of the rising and falling middle class in America by way of the ultimate middle-class art form, the novel. —Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War MARC EGNAL is an emeritus professor of history at York University, Toronto, Canada. His most recent book is Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War .