Journal of Economic Studies in Literature
JESL, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.171-180.
Print ISSN: 3107-3492; Online ISSN: 3107-3506
Journal homepage: https://www.jesljournal.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64058/jesl260113wrplp
Writers·Readers·Publishers: On Literary Production in The Business of the Transcendentalists
Duan Yini
Abstract: The Business of the Transcendentalists breaks new ground in literary studies by examining 19th-century American Transcendentalism through economic and market lenses. By analyzing the creative practices and subsistence strategies of Concord writers including Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, the book recontextualizes literary creation as socioeconomic activity, revealing how market forces continually help to shape Transcendentalist literature. Drawing on its core arguments, this article examines the market logic underlying Transcendentalist literature from three perspectives: the writer’s existential paradox as an “intellectual laborer”, the reader’s role as a “market-vane” creating literary demand, and the publisher’s function as a “commercial strategist” constructing literary reputation. It further explores the symbiotic relationship between literature and economy. The book’s significance lies in bridging literary and economic inquiry, thus offering a methodological framework for understanding the complex interplay between literature and the market.
Keywords: The Business of the Transcendentalists; market logic; literary production; writer’s identity
Author Biography: Duan Yini, Postgraduate student, The School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, English and American Literature, E-mail: 2217773059@qq.com.
标题：作家·读者·出版商：评《超验主义的生意》中的文学生产
摘要：《超验主义的生意》跳出传统文学研究的藩篱，从经济与市场维度切入，重新审视19世纪美国超验主义文学的发展脉络。该书通过梳理爱默生、梭罗、霍桑等康科德作家的创作与生存实践，将文学创作还原为具体的社会经济行为，揭示出超验主义文学的发展从未脱离市场的滋养与制约。本文以该书的核心理念为依托，从作家作为“精神劳动者”的生存悖论、读者作为“市场风向标”的需求塑造、出版商作为“商业操盘手”的名声生产三个维度，剖析超验主义文学背后的市场逻辑，进而探讨文学与经济的深层共生关系。该书的价值在于打破了文学研究与经济研究的壁垒，为理解文学与市场的复杂互动提供了方法论范例。
关键词：《超验主义的生意》；市场逻辑；文学生产；作家身份
作者介绍：段旖旎，硕士研究生，南京师范大学外国语学院，英美文学，电子邮箱：2217773059@qq.com.
Received: 06 May 2026 / Revised: 17 May 2026 / Accepted: 05 Jun. 2026 / Published online: 15 Jun. 2026 / Print published: 25 Jun. 2026.
