The Routledge Research Companion to Law and Humanities in Nineteenth-Century America (original) (raw)

In the late 19th century, the emergence of corporations, particularly railroads, significantly influenced American literature and culture. Writers like Walt Whitman praised the expansive power of railroads, while figures such as Frank Norris depicted them as oppressive forces. This duality reflects the complex impact of corporations on society, which transcends simple narratives of progress or decline. The transformation from an agrarian society to an industrialized one reshaped individual identities, social structures, and cultural understanding, marking the United States as the world's first corporate society.