American Literary Periods

Colonial 1650-1750 ~ The Colonial movement was mostly instructional. ~ It was to spread the word of God, and help the corrupted (which was everyone). ~ This style of writing is seen in plain writing, in the form of diaries, sermons, and personal notes.

Examples of Writers During this Period… Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) 1. First published American poet 2. "To My Dear and Loving Husband" 3. "If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee." Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758) 1. Minister 2. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" 3. View of God as punitive and distant; view of man as basically evil

Age of Reason 1750-1800 ~ This movement was generally in an ornate style that used reason as opposed to faith alone (Rationalism). ~ The work in this literary movement is also seen in persuasive writing, political pamphlets, and travel writing. ~ This was a good movement for America. It increased patriotism, and it brought about a common ground on which issues were agreed. ~ The writing encouraged the reader to support the Revolutionary War and taught readers how to understand what they were reading.

Writers During this Period… Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) 1. The Autobiography, is about his life, and is split into four different parts; 2. Poor Richard's Almanac ; 3. Was a symbol of success due to hard work & common sense Thomas Paine (1737–1809) 1. Pamphleteer ; 2. "The American Crisis" helped propel us into war; 3. Remains a model of effective propaganda; 4. "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) 1. Declaration of Independence 2. Considered the finest writer of the era 3. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal…"

Romanticism 1800-1855 ~ This movement gave readers a chance to read more imaginative work, and often came in the form of short stories, or poems. ~ There is more focus on feelings, rather than reason, and intuition over fact, which was very different from the previous literary movement (Rationalism). ~ Though the work was feeling and imaginary based, it started important debates on slavery.

Dark Romanticism ~ A sub-genre of Romanticism ~ Features the use of   Gothic Literature ~ A sub-genre of Romanticism ~ Features the use of the supernatural ~ Has characters with both evil and good characteristics ~ Includes dark landscapes; depressed characters

Writers During this Period… Washington Irving (1789-1851) 1. First famous American writer; called “Father of American Lit“ 2. Wrote short stories, travel books, satires 3. Famous for Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which terrified generations of children), and Rip Van Winkle (which created success from failure and the antihero) 5. "Devil and Tom Walker": encounter-with-the-devil tale Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) 1. Wrote about sin and guilt; consequences of pride, selfishness, etc. 2. The Scarlet Letter 3. Short stories ("The Minister's Black Veil,“ “Young Goodman Brown”)

Writers During this Period… Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) 1. Lousy childhood; substance abuse problems; reviled in his day 2. Created the modern short story and detective story; 3. Poems: "The Raven", "Bells", "Annabel Lee", "Dream" 4. Attacked two long-standing conventions: a poem has to be long; it must teach a lesson Herman Melville (1819-1891) 1. Ranked as one of America's top novelists, but was recognized by few in his own time 2. Wrote Moby Dick which didn't sell. Only his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne liked it. It was not reprinted for 60 yrs. It is now considered America's greatest prose epic

Transcendentalism 1840-1860 ~ Stressed individualism, intuition, nature, self-reliance. ~ The purpose of this style is to find truth through various senses and through nature. ~ The reader was often left with something to contemplate. ~ Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions corrupted the purity of the individual. ~ Belief that people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. ~ This style is seen in poems, and novels

Writers During this Period… Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) 1. His writings helped establish the philosophy of individualism, an idea deeply embedded in American culture 2. "Nature" 3. "Self-Reliance" Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) 1. Resisted materialism; chose simplicity, individualism 2. Wrote Walden, a guidebook for life, showing how to live wisely in a world designed to make wise living impossible 3. Lived on Walden Pond for 2+ years 4. "Civil Disobedience": a primer for nonviolent protest  

Realism 1865-1915 ~ The Civil War brought about a demand for a "truer" type of literature that didn't idealize people or places ~ People in society were defined by "class"; materialism ~ The ideas of Darwin (survival of the fittest) and Marx (how money and class structure control a nation) were popular As a result of these beliefs, Realism: ~ Became a reaction against Romanticism; it told it like it was ~ Focused on lives of ordinary people; rejected heroic and adventurous ~ Was anti-materialistic; rejected the new "class" system ~ Viewed nature as a powerful and indifferent force beyond man's control

A sub-genre of Realism ~ Like Realism but a darker view of the world ~ The universe is unpredictable; fate is determined by chance; free will is an illusion ~ Characters' lives shaped by forces they can't understand or control ~ Novels, short stories ~ Often aims to change a specific social problem ~ Dominant themes: survival, fate, violence, nature as an indifferent force

Writers During this Period… Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) 1. The most famous woman of her day 2. Wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, the most influential book of the 19th Century and first book to sell one million copies. One of the most effective documents of propaganda; helped fuel the Civil War Frederick Douglas (1817-1895) 1. An escaped slave; one of the most effective orators of his day 2. Influential newspaper writer; militant abolitionist; diplomat 3. His autobiography an instant and enduring classic tale of courage

Writers During this Period… Mark Twain (1835-1910) 1. Samuel Langhorne Clemens is believed to be the greatest American humorist and novelist 2. Used vernacular, exaggeration, deadpan narrator to create humor 3. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (tall tale); Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (one of America's most influential novels) Stephen Crane (1871-1900) 1. Wrote The Red Badge of Courage 2. “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”

The Moderns 1900-1950 ~ The Modern movement brought pride in the American dream, often in the form of poems, plays, and novels. ~ During this movement authors strived to find an individual style. ~ This style brought pride in being American, and the country was thought of as the land of Eden

Writers During this Period… F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) 1. Wrote The Great Gatsby, said to be the greatest American novel ever written Earnest Hemmingway (1899 – 1961) 1. Hemmingway’s short stories fall under this movement. John Steinbeck (1902–1968) 1. Wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath

The Harlem Renaissance 1920s ~ This movement was very empowering for African Americans, because before this time, literature portrayed them in a very stereotypical way. ~ In this movement African Americans were revealed to be complex characters. ~ The Harlem Renaissance is agreed to help start gospel music. ~ Poems from this movement are often in blues form Examples of work from this movement are Zora Neil’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Langston Hughes poems.

Contemporary 1950-Present Post Modernism/ Contemporary 1950-Present ~ Post Modernism and Contemporary can be thought of as two movements, but their differences are not big enough to separate them. ~ Both movements blur the line between fiction and nonfiction, and either have no heroes, or anti-heroes, respectively. ~ One difference between the two is that Post Modernism usually has no humor, while Contemporary may have ironic humor. Examples of Post Modernism are Norman Mailers’ The Naked and the Dead and The Executioners Song; Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood Examples of Contemporary works are Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, and Orson Cards Enders Game