1. The Isms An American Lit. Overview

2. Puritanism: Beginnings to 1750 Writing style: plain Theocracy: the church is the gov. God all important Hymns, histories, diaries, journals Hard work is important

3. Rationalism 1750-1800 Life guided by reason and logic over imagination Order, tradition, balance important Quest for democracy The Revolutionary War-Ben Franklin

4. Romanticism 1800-1870 Love of nature The individual Imagination over reason The Fireside poets

5. Romanticism Transcendentalis m Man, God, & nature united in the Oversoul Optimistic-man basically good Emerson & Thoreau Dark Romantics / Anti- Transcendentali sts Believed man capable of evil Psychological & supernatural Poe

6. Realism 1870-1914 Everyday events/ slice of life Honest / observant Revolt against Romanticism

7. Realism Regionalism Captured essence of region through landscape, details, speech & customs Regional Dialect Chopin / Masters Naturalism Extreme version of realism Human existence determined by natural forces over which man has no control=heredity & environment Nature is indifferent/ cruel Steinbeck’s OF MICE AND MEN

8. Modernism 1915-1946 Tries to capture the essence of modern life in form and content Themes of uncertainty & disillusionment No exposition, resolution Implied themes Stream of consciousness Free verse-poetry Hemingway, e. e. cummings

9. Modernism Harlem Renaissance Black voices of art, music, theater, poetry, & lit. Voices of anger and frustration Dialect Countee Cullen & Langston Hughes Imagism “Make it new” Captures a single moment using everyday language to create a single emotion with word pictures Short, brief poems like Japanese Haiku Ezra Pound