1. Annotated Timeline of American Literature
Miss Gruver

2. Native American Experience
Timeline BC- 1600
Tribes
Sioux
Okanogan
Iroquois
Kiowa
Events
1200 BC- 1600Native American culture flourishes
1492Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahamas

3. Native American Experience
Historical and Cultural Context
Our American identity as we know it is a product of our past. Our class will focus on literature which reveals how we arrived at our society and culture today.
We study Native American literature out of a respect for the indigenous cultures who were here before the European explorers as well as a respect for their cultural and literary influence throughout the years.

4. Native American Experience
Storytelling & Oral Tradition
Long before European explorers came to North America, Native Americans had a rich literary tradition of their own. Their stories, histories, and legends were shared and preserved through oral tradition. The storyteller is one whose spirit is indispensable to the people.

5. Puritan Age/Colonial Period
Timeline
Authors
William Bradford
Anne Bradstreet
Edward Taylor
Events
1607British settlers establish colony in Jamestown, Virginia
1692Witch trials take place in Salem, Massachussetts

6. Puritan Age Colonial Genre/Style Effect/Aspects Historical Context
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.

7. Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason
Timeline
Authors
Ben Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Patrick Henry
Events
1776American colonies declare independence
1788U.S. Constitution is ratified

8. Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason
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
Encouraged Revolutionary War support.

9. Romanticism/American Gothic
Timeline
Authors
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Edgar Allen Poe
Events
1803LA purchase doubles the countries size
1808United States bans slave trade
1812War of 1812 spurs on the Industrial Revolution

10. Romanticism/American Gothic
Genre/Style
Character Sketches, Slave Narratives, Poetry, and short stories.
Effect/Aspects
Integrity of nature and freedom of imagination.
Historical Context
Publishing expands and industrial revolution brings new ideas.

11. Transcendentalism Timeline- 1840-1860 Authors Events
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
Margaret Fuller
Events
1846Mexican American War begins.
1848Gold discoveries lead to the first gold rush.
1857Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision denies slaves basic rights.

12. Transcendentalism Genre/Style Effect/Aspects Historical Context
Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels.
Effect/Aspects
Idealists, individualism, and symbolism.
Historical Context
Economic downturns .During this time of instability, transcendentalism appealed to audiences
A belief in a higher reality than that achieved by human reasoning. Suggests that every individual is capable of discovering this higher truth through intuition

13. Realism Timeline- 1855-1900 Authors Events Stephen Crane
Ambrose Bierce
Events
 North and South fight in Civil War.
1865 13th Amendment abolishes slavery.
1879Thomas Edison invents the light bulb.

14. Realism Genre/Style Effect/Aspects Historical Context
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.

15. Regionalism/Naturalism
Timeline
Authors
Mark Twain
Willa Cather
Jack London
Events
1889 Oklahoma is opened foe settlement, triggering a land rush.
1903 Wright brothers achieve the first airplane flight.

16. Regionalism/Naturalism
Genre/Style
Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels.
Effect/Aspects
Emphasis on development of believable characters.
Written in natural vernacular, or dialect
Historical Context:
The urbanization and industrialization of America; Increasing rates of democracy and literacy; The emerging middle class; Upheaval and social change in the latter half of the 19th century

17. Modernism Timeline- 1910-1945 Authors Events T.S. Elliot
Ernest Hemingway
Ezra Pound
Events
1917 United States enters World War I
1920 19th Amendment is passed, giving the women the right to vote.

18. Modernism Genre/Style Effect/Aspects Historical Context
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 and Karl Marx, during WWI and WWII.

19. Harlem Renaissance Timeline- 1920-1930 Authors Events Langston Hughes
Zora Neale Hurston
Countee Cullen
Events
1919 Race riots erupt in 25 American cities
1929 The Wall Street stock market crashes and the Great Depression begins.

20. Harlem Renaissance Genre/Style Effect/Aspects Historical Context
Blues Song in Poetry and African American Spirituals.
Effect/Aspects
Brought about Gospel Music.
Historical Context
Mass African American Migration to Northern Urban Centers. African Americans are given more access to media and publishing.

21. Contemporary Literature
Timeline Present
Authors
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
John Steinbeck
Amy Tan
Events
1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor brings the U.S. into World War II
1965 U.S. enters Vietnam War.
2001 Terrorists attack U.S. cities.
2009 Barack Obama becomes the first African American U.S. president

22. Contemporary Literature
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.