{"product_id":"the-power-of-sympathy-9781420940442","title":"The Power of Sympathy","description":"William Hill Brown (1765-1793) was an American poet, dramatist and novelist who anonymously published \"The Power of Sympathy\", considered to be the first American novel. The son of a prominent clockmaker, Brown received his education at a Boston boy's school. His literary spark and encouragement came from his step-aunt, Catherine Byles. While living in Boston, Brown lived directly across the street from a famous Boston family, the Anthorp-Mortons, who became the center of a local scandal in 1788. Frances Anthorp committed suicide after she was discovered to be having an affair with her brother-in-law, Perez Morton. \"The Power of Sympathy\", based on this infamous Boston scandal, follows a sentimental writing style developed by Samuel Richardson. This epistolary novel about tragic, incestuous love began a flood of other sentimental novels from its popularity. Because it has the distinction of being the first book-length work written and issued in America, the novel has received critical attention since its publication.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Digireads.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50504415904018,"sku":"9781420940442","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_35c05de9-06b9-44b4-b44a-556aa0a13540.jpg?v=1730818972","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-power-of-sympathy-9781420940442","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}