Elena Rossi
American literature is a body of written works produced in the English language in the United States. It is often divided into six major periods, each painting a unique picture of America and its people. From the oral traditions of Native Americans to the contemporary works of today, American literature has been shaped by the country's history, reflecting its social, political, and cultural evolution. The earliest colonial literature was primarily religious and political, while the Revolutionary Period (1775-1783) saw the emergence of notable political writers such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. The 19th century witnessed the rise of distinctively American fiction by writers like Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and Edgar Allan Poe, while the Romantic Period produced enduring works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Walt Whitman. The 20th century brought about significant industrial, economic, and social changes, influencing literary movements like American Realism, which depicted the lives of ordinary Americans. During this time, writers like Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin addressed racial injustices in their works. Overall, American literature has reflected the diverse and dynamic nature of the nation, capturing its history, struggles, and evolving identity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Oral traditions of Native Americans | Coyote tales, Raven cycle tales |
| European influence | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes |
| Transcendentalism | Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller |
| Romanticism | Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman |
| Post-war period | Thomas Jefferson |
| African-American literature | Phillis Wheatley, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry |
| Industrial, economic, social and cultural change | American realism |
| Political writings | Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Josiah Quincy, John Dickinson, Joseph Galloway |
| American Revolution | Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Joel Barlow, Philip Freneau |
| American comedy | Royall Tyler, "The Contrast" |
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What You'll Learn
The Revolutionary Period
Another significant contributor to the Revolutionary Period was Thomas Paine, who left his native England for Philadelphia and became a magazine editor. Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" (1776) played a crucial role in influencing the colonists to declare their independence. His "American Crisis" papers (1776-1783) further spurred Americans to persist through the darkest years of the war, portraying the conflict as a battle between angelic colonists and evil forces.
The Puritan influence on literature in the colonies began to wane during this time, with dramatic performances and non-religious publications gaining traction. By the mid-1700s, political writings by colonists became increasingly common and forceful, reflecting the historical context of the time.
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African-American literature
The 19th century saw the emergence of slave narratives, with formerly enslaved people sharing their journeys to freedom and their experiences. During this period, Maria W. Stewart, a Black woman, gained recognition for her public speeches and writings on race relations and the role of Black women. The late 19th and early 20th centuries, marked by de jure racism and the Jim Crow era, further crystallized African-American literature as a distinct canon. Writers such as Richard Wright, whose autobiography "Black Boy" was published in 1945, grappled with the desire to escape an unjust society or bring about change.
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, based in the Harlem community of New York City, witnessed a flourishing of African-American literature and arts. Writers like Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Zora Neale Hurston produced influential works during this period, exploring themes of racial equality, African-American culture, and the Black experience within the larger American society. The Harlem Renaissance was a pivotal moment in the artistic flowering and racial self-consciousness of African-American literature.
The Civil Rights and Black Power movements inspired the Black Arts Movement, which further defined and promoted African-American literature as a genre. Writers such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and James Emanuel played significant roles in this movement. Morrison's debut novel, "The Bluest Eye" (1970), explored themes of racial conventions of beauty and the impact of a racist society on a Black family. Since the 1970s, African-American writers have gained widespread critical acclaim, with their works recognized both nationally and internationally.
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Native American literature
Native American oral traditions include hundreds of tales of Coyote, a trickster and benefactor to humankind, among the Native peoples of the Plains, the Southwest, and parts of present-day California. The Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast, from Alaska to northwestern California, told tales of Raven, Coyote's counterpart, whose chaotic actions ultimately gave way to order.
In the late 1960s through the 1970s and into the 1980s, a period known as the "Native American Renaissance", saw a flourishing of literary work by Native American writers. During this period, N. Scott Momaday's novel "House Made of Dawn" became the first Pulitzer Prize-winning work by a Native author. Other notable writers of this period include James Welch, Louise Erdrich, Gerald Vizenor, Joy Harjo, and Simon Ortiz.
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American realism
In literature, American Realism marked a departure from fantasy and sentimentality, focusing instead on contemporary social realities and the everyday lives of ordinary people. Writers like William Dean Howells and Mark Twain were pioneers of this movement. Howells, a socialist, wrote novels like "A Modern Instance" (1882), "The Rise of Silas Lapham" (1885), and "A Hazard of New Fortunes" (1890), which explored the social circumstances and emotions of middle-class Americans. Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was also a significant work of this period, known for its realistic and colloquial American speech. Twain's writing style gave American writers a new appreciation of their national voice and a way to speak truth to power.
Another notable author of this period was Stephen Crane, whose novel "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets" (1893) is considered one of the earliest and best examples of naturalistic American literature. Crane's writing was devoid of moralizing and focused on the harsh realities of life for a poor and sensitive girl, Maggie, who becomes a prostitute to survive.
In art, the Ashcan school, also known as The Eight, was a group of New York City artists who sought to capture the early 20th-century atmosphere of the city through realistic portraits of everyday life. They preferred to depict the lower-class immigrants and the grittier aspects of city life, such as alleys, tenements, and taverns frequented by the working class.
In music, composers noticed the quick and fast-paced nature of early 20th-century life and responded with fresh and new tempos, reflecting the cultural exuberance and exhaustion of the time.
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Romantic Period/Age of Transcendentalism
The Romantic Period in American literature, also known as the Age of Transcendentalism, flourished in the first half of the 19th century, from around 1829 to 1867. This literary movement was a reaction to the Age of Enlightenment's emphasis on science and rationalism, instead valuing individualism, intuition, and emotionalism. The Romantic Period in American literature was characterised by a focus on native scenes and characters, with writers infusing their works with vivid touches of American life.
One of the key figures of this era was Ralph Waldo Emerson, a poet, lecturer, and essayist who is considered the leader of the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson's essay "Nature" (1836) laid out the main tenets of Transcendentalism, which included a belief in the innate goodness of humanity, the unity of all creation, and the supremacy of insight over logic and experience for revealing the deepest truths. Emerson, a former Unitarian minister, found that even liberal doctrines could not contain his broad beliefs. He, along with other Transcendentalists, rejected the conventions of 18th-century thought and the established order.
Henry David Thoreau, another prominent Transcendentalist, wrote "Walden" (1854), which explored living in harmony with nature, and "Civil Disobedience" (1849), which praised the benefits of peaceful resistance. Thoreau's works had a significant impact, with references to his writing appearing in US Supreme Court opinions.
Other important Transcendentalist figures included Margaret Fuller, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, James Freeman Clarke, George Ripley, Bronson Alcott, and the Channings (W.E. and W.H.). These writers were influenced by German transcendentalism, Platonism, Indian and Chinese scriptures, and the writings of mystics like Emanuel Swedenborg and Jakob Böhme.
The Romantic Period in American literature also saw the rise of humourists and writers who captured the spirit of New England. Notable among them were Seba Smith, James Russell Lowell, and Benjamin P. Shillaber, who portrayed the talk and character of New England with a realism that had not been achieved before.
In conclusion, the Romantic Period and the Age of Transcendentalism in American literature was a rich and diverse era that challenged established conventions, celebrated the individual, and explored the relationship between humanity, nature, and the divine. This literary movement left an enduring impact on American thought and culture.
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Frequently asked questions
The earliest colonial literature from the 17th century consisted mainly of religious and historical texts. The first notable poets of this period were Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor, both from Massachusetts. The period of the American Revolution was dominated by political writers, such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.
The Romantic period is commonly accepted to be the greatest period of American literature. This period saw the emergence of major writers like Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville. Their works reflected the ideals of Transcendentalism, focusing on individualism, nature, and the inherent goodness of people.
Contemporary American literature has addressed themes of racial injustice and the African American experience. Notable works include Richard Wright's autobiography "Black Boy", Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man", and James Baldwin's "Go Tell It on the Mountain". These works grapple with the desire to escape and change an unjust society, reflecting the social and political realities of the time.
