Literary History of America 1588-present

Overview Puritan/Colonial (1588-1750) Revolutionary/Age of Reason (1750-1800) Romanticism (1800-1860) American Renaissance/ Transcendentalism/Anti- Transcendentalism (1840-1860) Realism/Naturalism (1855-1900) Modernism (1900-1946) Post-Modernism (1946-Present) Contemporary (1970s-Present)

You will need to know: What & when (in the title on each slide) Genre & Style (What was written & how it was written) Effects & Aspects (Why it was written in the first place) Historical Context (What was happening in the world at the time) Who some of the major players are (names & pictures at the end of each section)

Puritan/Colonial Period (1588-1750) Genre/Style: Sermons, religious tracts, diaries, personal narratives, religious poems. It was written in plain style. Effect/Aspects: Instructive, reinforces authority of the Bible and the church. Very little imaginative literature was produced. Historical Context: Puritan settlers fled England where they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, and came to New England to have religious freedom.

Puritan/Colonial Period (1588-1750) Thomas Hariot wrote A Brief and True Report of the New-Found Land of Virginia in 1588 quickly translated into Latin, French, and German; it was a window for the Old World to see an embellished version of the New World Anne Bradstreet born & educated in England considered a spinster at 25 first book of American poetry first published American woman

Puritan/Colonial Period (1588-1750) William Bradford governor of Plymouth essentially the first historian of the new colonies wrote Of Plymouth Plantation in 1651 Cotton Mather Comes from a long line of Puritan ministers Harvard educated (indirect) major participant in the Salem Witch Trials

Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason (1750-1800) Genre/Style: Political Pamphlets, Travel Writing, and highly ornate persuasive writing. Effect/Aspects: Patriotism and pride grows, creates unity about issues, and creates American character. Historical Context: Increase in religious tolerance, change in how man views the self, interested in pursuit of scientific knowledge

Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason (1750-1800) Benjamin Franklin scientist, writer, diplomat, Founding Father Explored all new avenues of thought Thomas Paine great American propagandist Common Sense; presented argument for American freedom The American Crisis; series of essays and articles that continued to argue for independence

Romanticism (1800-1860) Genre/Style: Character Sketches, Slave Narratives, Poetry, and short stories. Effect/Aspects: Emphasized intense emotion and appreciation of heroes Historical Context: Publishing expands and industrial revolution brings new ideas.

Romanticism (1800-1860) Washington Irving known as “Father of American Literature” first famous American author Advocated for stronger laws protecting authors’ works Edgar Allan Poe Bad childhood made him despise the world Darkly metaphysical vision Refined the short story Created detective fiction Challenged notion that poem had to be long & teach something

American Renaissance/ Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism (1840-1860) Genre/Style: Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels. Effect/Aspects: Humanism, individualism, and symbolism. Historical Context: Years leading to Civil War, attempt to find a uniquely American art form based on older European works.

American Renaissance/ Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism (1840-1860) Ralph Waldo Emerson Leader of the Transcendentalist movement Emphasized individuality, freedom, and relationship of the soul to the world Henry David Thoreau contemporary of Emerson wrote Civil Disobedience, argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state

American Renaissance/ Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism (1840-1860) Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in direct opposition to Transcendentalists most stories written about New England Focus on inherent evil and sin in man Usually have a deep moral message

Realism (1855-1900) Genre/Style: Novels, Short Stories, Objective Narrator, and does not tell reader how to interpret the story. Effect/Aspects: Social and Aesthetic realism. Historical Context: Civil War brought demand for a more true type of literature.

Realism (1855-1900) Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) writes in strong, realistic everyday speech first major author to come from center of the nation Emily Dickenson Writing has characteristics of both Romanticism and Realism Rebelled against strong Puritan upbringing Hardly anyone knew of her when alive

Naturalism (1865-1915) Genre/Style: Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels Effect/Aspects: people are victims of the laws of nature, the universe, and fate Historical Context: tied very closely to Realism; people were looking at harshness of post-Civil War country

Naturalism (1865-1915) poor working class writer Jack London poor working class writer Gritty, vivid stories of life and death struggles died at age 40; alcoholism, kidney failure, dysentery, morphine overdose Stephen Crane many characters suffer from crisis of identity/faith, fear of the unknown, and social isolation died from tuberculosis at age 28

Modernism (1900-1946) Genre/Style: Novels, Plays, Poetry, experiments in writing styles, interior monologue, and stream of consciousness. Effect/Aspects: Pursuit of American Dream, Admiration for America, Optimism, and Individual Importance. Historical Context: Writers reflected the ideas of Darwin, Freud, and Karl Marx, during WWI and WWII.

Modernism (1900-1946) Ernest Hemingway used concise, spare, direct, objective writing to create bigger-than-life heroes won Pulitzer and Nobel Peace Prize for Literature John Steinbeck wrote about both pains and joys of life most writing took place during the Great Depression famous for The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men

Post-Modernism (1946-present) Genre/Style: Mixing of fantasy with nonfiction blurred lines of reality for reader, there were no heroes, humorless, narratives, present tense, and magic realism. Effect/Aspects: Grinds down the distinctions between the classes of people. Historical Context: After WWII prosperity.

Post-Modernism (1946-present) JD Salinger fought in WWII; D-Day, Battle of the Bulge Most famous novel – Catcher in the Rye became increasingly reclusive died Jan 27, 2010, at 91 Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. fought in WWII; captured by Germans during the Battle of the Bulge darkly humorous critiques of society most famous novel – Slaughterhouse Five died April 11th, 2007

Contemporary Argument over dates – 1950 or 1970-present Genre/Style: Narrative, fiction, nonfiction, anti heroes, emotional, irony, storytelling, autobiographical, and essays. Effect/Aspects: Shift in emphasis from homogeneity to celebrating diversity. Historical Context: New century, new millennium.

Contemporary (1950-present) Stephen King famous for books that scare people lives in Maine was rejected by publishers 30 times before 1st book published (Carrie, 1974)

Contemporary (1950-present) James Oliver Rigney (a.k.a. Robert Jordan) went to Citadel Military College in South Carolina wrote in fantasy genre died before finishing 15-book Wheel of Time series