American Literary

Timeline
 Colonial Period  Realism
 Age of Reason  Naturalism
 Romanticism  Regionalism
 Transcendentalism  Modernism
 Anti-Transcendentalism  Contemporary
 Colonial Period
Early America-1776
This period was at the very beginnings of Americ
a and it made way for the rest of the countries literature. Authors
In the first stages of America there were writers, such as T
homas Hariot, who wrote A Brief and True Report of the N of the C
ew-Found Land of Virginia in 1588; in which he described olonial P
“The Americas” in words and picture. The book was quick eriod
ly translated into Latin, French, and German; it was a wind
Edward Taylor
ow for the Old World to see an embellished version of the
New World.
John Woolman
Others that dominated this era were the Puritan
s whose definition of good writing was writing that brough Anne Bradstreet
t home a full awareness of the importance of worshipping
God and of the spiritual dangers that the soul faced on Ear William Bradford
th, and the literature that was produced by the Puritans re
flected this.
 Age of Reason
Late 1770s to Early 1800s
This period was a time when authors were fo Authors
cused more on their own reasoning rather than simp of the A
ly taking what the church taught as fact. During thi
s period there was also cultivation of patriotism. Th ge of Re
e main medium during that period were political pa ason
mphlets, essays, travel writings, speeches, and docu
ments. Abigail Adams

Also during this period many reforms were e

ither made or requested, for instance during this tim Benjamin Franklin

e the Declaration of Independence was written.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Paine
 Romanticism
1800-1850
After the “Age of Reason” came to an end, th
e people of America were tired of reality; they wanted t
o see life as more than it was. This was the Era of Rom Authors of th
antics. The main medium that presented itself at that ti e Romanticis
me were short stories, poems, and novels. During this
era, as opposed to the “Age of Reason,” the imaginatio m
n dominated; intuition ruled over fact, and there was a
Washington Irving
large emphasis on the individual/common man and on
nature or the natural world. Nathaniel Hawthorne
Gothic literature was also introduced at this ti
me, which is a sub-genre of Romanticism. This genre inc Edgar Allen Poe
ludes stories about characters that had both good and e
vil traits. Gothic literature also incorporated the use of Herman Melville
supernatural elements.
 Transcendentalism
1840-1855
This movement pushed America from the el Authors of the Tra
aborate and fantasy writings displayed in the period
of Romanticism into a period of literature that stress nscendentalism
ed individualism, nature, and self-reliance. Often Tra
nscendentalists used nature to gain knowledge or to Ralph Waldo Emerson

return to a life of self-reliance and individualism. It al

so stressed the fundamental idea of a unity between Henry David Thoreau
God and the world and that each person was a micro
cosm of the world. Walt Whitman
Unlike many European groups, the Transce
ndentalists never issued a manifesto. They insisted o [Sarah] Margaret Fuller
n the differences in each individual.
 Anti-Transcendentalism
1840-1855
During the same time period when Trans
cendentalism was taking place, its opposite, Anti-T Authors of the Anti
ranscendentalism, was also happening. As oppose -Transcendentalism
d to Transcendentalism, which focused on the natu
ral world and its relationship to humanity and the Herman Melville
quest for understanding of the human spirit, Anti-
Transcendentalism focused on the limitations of m Nathaniel Hawthorne
ankind and its potential destructiveness of the hu
man spirit. For instance, water brings life, but its e
xcess, i.e. a flood, can bring death and destruction.
(Notice how they sometimes use nature in their wr
itings to reflect what goes on with humans. Exampl
e: Scarlet Letter and the forest – reflects Pearl’s
wild nature, the only place Hester and Dimmesdal
e can be free, etc.)
 Realism
1865-1915
This literary movement took place during
the Civil War. At a time when a war was taking pl
ace, people were tired of Transcendentalism and
Anti-Transcendentalism. For one thing, they wer
e both extremes of the same spectrum; one was Authors of the Real
nice, happy, and “frilly;” the other was dark and ism
destructive. People wanted to see things how thMark Twain [Samuel Clemens]
ey were, so Realism came about. Bret Harte

Realism also came about as a reaction to

Romanticism, in which there were heroic charact Sarah Orne Jewett
ers and adventures with strange and unfamiliar s James Henry
ettings. In response, Realism’s authors tried to
write truthfully and objectively about ordinary c
haracters in ordinary situations.
 Naturalism
1865-1915
The Naturalism literary movement that t
ook place in the late nineteenth and early twenti Authors of the Nat
eth century tended to view people as hapless vict uralism
ims of immutable natural laws. Naturalism is clo
Stephen Crane
sely related to Realism, only it usually views the
world in a darker perspective. In Naturalism, it is Jack London
widely shown that free will is an illusion that thin
gs that happen in the universe happen and could Theodore Dreiser

not happen any other way.

Frank Norris
Also a defining characteristic of Naturali
sm is that its characters’ lives are shaped by forc
es they cannot control.
 Regionalism
1865-1915

Regionalism was a literary mov

ement in which authors would write a
story about specific geographical areas. Authors of the Reg
By writing about regions, the authors ionalism
explore the culture of that area, includ Willa Cather

ing its languages, customs, beliefs, and

history. William Faulkner

Not only did writers in this tim Kate Chopin

e try to show the region they wrote ab
out to their readers, but they also mad Frank Norris
e an attempt at a sophisticated sociolo
gical or anthropological treatment of t
he culture of the region.
 Modernism
1915-1946
This type of writing is one of the most
experimental types. Modernist authors used fra
gments, stream of consciousness, and interior di Authors of the Mo
alogue. The main thing that authors were trying dernism
to achieve with Modernism was a unique style, Ernest Hemingway
one that they could stand out and be known for
its uniqueness. F. Scott Fitzgerald
During this period, technology was taki
ng incredible leaps. There were also two world John Steinbeck
wars and destruction on a global scale. The you
nger generation began to take over the main sta Robert Frost

ge.
 Contemporary
1946-present
In the years since the Modern period,
American authors have begun to write from a p Authors of the Con
lethora of genres. Many Americans simply writ
e in the style that suits them individually rather
temporary
J. D. Salinger
than mimicking specific styles. There are more
different types of writing being done at one tim
Stephen King
e than at any other period in history: fantasy, fi
ction, science fiction, horror, political writings,
Joyce Carol Oates
romantics, plays, and poems, anything and eve
rything.
Robert Jordan
 End of Power Point

• The following slides are accessible from the slides above

 Edward Taylor
(c. 1644-1729)
• Taylor was a Minister who
studied at Harvard College,
and whose works were ne
ver published by Taylor, hi
mself, until they were disc
overed in 1930s. He wrot
e such pieces as Metrical
History of Christianity, whi
ch mainly a history of Chri
stian martyrs.

Colonial Period
 John Woolman (1720-1772)
• The best known work by a
Quaker was written by thi
s man, simply named Jour
nal in 1774, this journal w
as a complete and full acc
ount of his life in a pure, h
eartfelt style of great swe
etness that have attracted
many American and Englis
h writers for many years a
fter Woolman had past a
way.

Colonial Period
 Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612-1672)
• The first publication of
a book of poems in A
merica, was also the fi
rst publication by a w
oman in America. She
also wrote The Tenth
Muse Lately Sprung U
p in America in 1650.

Colonial Period
 William Bradford (1590-1657)
• He was elected governor
of Plymouth shortly after t
he pilgrims landed in on Pl
ymouth Rock. He was ess
entially the first historian
of the new colonies. His p
articipation in the voyage
of the Mayflower and bei
ng governor made him th
e ideal person for this job.
He wrote Of Plymouth Pla
ntation in 1651.

Colonial Period
 Abigail Adams (1744-1818)
• She wrote letters that ca
mpaigned for women’s rig
hts. Her grandson, Charle
s Francis Adams, publishe
d The Familiar Letters of J
ohn Adams and His Wife A
bigail During the Revolutio
n, which were just what t
hey said they were, letters
written by Abigail and her
husband.

Age of Reason
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
• Franklin is well known wor
ldwide for his discoveries i
n the world of science and
also for works that he con
tributed to, such as the De
claration of Independence,
and his theories on electri
city. His works were all ne
w ideas things people nev
er thought of before beca
use they always took what
they got as fact.

Age of Reason
 Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
• Jefferson is bets know for
writing the Declaration of
Independence, the docum
ent came about as a respo
nse to these times, people
were thinking for themsel
ves, and one of the major
thing the Americans disco
vered was that they didn’t
need England. So Jefferso
n wrote the D of I to form
ally state that.

Age of Reason
 Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
• Paine wrote mostly pamp
hlets that would spur idea
s and immediate action. I
n the document "The Ame
rican Crisis," Paine wrote
about the oppression that
America suffered from Bri
tain, and propelled Ameri
ca into a war with Britain.
Paine, to this day, is well k
nown for his propaganda.

Age of Reason
 Washington Irving (1789-1851)
• Irving was the first “famo
us” American author; he’s
also known as the “Father
of American Literature.”
He wrote travel books, sh
ort stories, and satires. So
me of his works include; L
egend of Sleepy Hollow, R
ip Van Winkle, and Devil a
nd Tom Walker.

Romanticism
 Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)
• Poe had a bad childhood tha
t made him despise the worl
d, and his works reflected hi
s work. He is credited for cr
eating the modern short stor
y, and the detective story. H
e also challenged two long-s
tanding theories, one, a poe
m had to be long, and two, a
poem had to teach you som
ething. Some of his works in
clude, "The Raven", "Bells",
"Annabel Lee", and "Dream.
"
Romanticism
 Herman Melville (1819-1891)
• In his time Melville wa
s not entirely recogniz
ed, however, in the m
ore recent years he ha
s been considered one
of the most top rated
novelist of all time. H
e is most well known f
or his epic novel Moby
Dick.

Romanticism Anti-Transcendentalism
 Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803-1882)
• Emerson had a strong sen
se of a religious mission th
ough he was accused of s
ubverting Christianity. He
left the church saying, “to
be a good minister, it was
necessary to leave the chu
rch.” Some of his mayor
works include Nature, pub
lished in 1836.

Transcendentalism
 Henry David Thoreau
(1817-1862)
• Thoreau Lived his life,
to do just that, live his
life. He was never rich
and for the most part l
ived with little money
all his life. His work h
e is most well known f
or is Walden, publishe
d in 1854.

Transcendentalism
 Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
• Whiteman was born on Long Isl
and, and was, for most of his jo
b life, a carpenter; he was a ma
n of the people. Most of his lea
rning career was done on his o
wn, after he left school the age
of eleven. His major work was
entitled His Leaves of Grass, pu
blished in 1855; over the years
he made many rewrites for this
book. Some of his famous poe
ms are, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferr
y," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly
Rocking," and "When Lilacs Last
in the Dooryard Bloom'd."

Transcendentalism
 [Sarah] Margaret Fuller
(1810-1850)
• Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, Ma
ssachusetts. She learned Greek and L
atin at a very young age, and later lear
ned German and Italian. After her fat
her, a congressman, died she became
a schoolteacher. She worked with Ral
ph Emerson as editors of The Dial, a lit
erary and philosophical journal, for w
hich she wrote many articles including
“The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Wom
an, Woman versus Man;” in which she
spoke for the equality of men and wo
men. Some of her other works include
Summer on the Lakes, published in 18
44, and Women in the Women in the
Nineteenth Century, published in 184
5.

Transcendentalism
 Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804-1864)
• Hawthorne was a Puritan
who utilized his writings t
o express his dark, and glo
omy outlook on life. Some
of his works include; Twic
e Told Tales, published in
1837; The Scarlet Letter, p
ublished in 1850; and The
House of the Seven Gable
s, published in 1851.

Anti-Transcendentalism Romanticism
 Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]
(1835-1910)
• Twain is known by many a
s the greatest American h
umorist and one of our gr
eatest novelists. He was k
nown for using vernacular,
exaggeration, and deadpa
n narrator to create humo
r. Twain wrote many grea
t novels including, the Adv
entures of Tom Sawyer, p
ublished in 1876; and The
Prince and the Pauper, pu
blished in 1881.
Realism
 Bret Harte (1836-1902)
• Harte was born in New York, and later
worked in California, on The California
writing stories. He worked with other
well-known authors as well, while at Th
e California, authors like Mark Twain, C
harles Warren Stoddard, and Prentice
Mulford. He was later appointed Secret
ary of the United States Branch Mint at
San Francisco; he held this office until 1
870. He then became the editor of Ove
rland Monthly, where he published "Th
e Luck of Roaring Camp," which brought
him instant fame. Some of his works in
cluded; "The Heathen Chinese,” a poem
published in 1870, Devil's Ford, "The Tw
ins of Table Mountain," "By Shore and S
edge," and "A Millionaire of Rough and
Ready."
Realism
 Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)
• Jewett grew up with books all
around her, it was only fitting
she grow up to be a writer. T
he early years of her life were
much like the story she wrote
in A Country Doctor. Some of
her works include; Miss Temp
y's Watchers, originally publis
hed in 1888; The Dulham Ladi
es, originally published in 188
6; A White Heron, originally p
ublished in 1886.

Realism
 James Henry (1843-1916 )
• His father was an important t
heorist and lecturer, and his o
lder brother was a famous Am
erican philosopher, William Ja
mes. He attended Harvard Co
llege. His early stories depict
the leisurely life of the well-to
-do. In his time he wrote man
y short stories including; “The
Short Story of a Year,” publish
ed in 1865; “Gabrielle de Berg
erac,” published in 1869; and
“Guest's Confession.”

Realism
 Stephen Crane (1871-1900)
• Crane’s writing was known fo
r attacking patriotism, individ
ualism, and organized religion;
it also confronted the meanin
glessness of the world. His w
ork was also very well known
for its imagery and symbolism.
The work he is most famous f
or Red Badge of Courage, whi
ch was set in the Civil War. S
ome of his other works includ
e; The Open Boat, published i
n 1894; “An Episode of War,”
originally published in 1890.

Naturalism
 Jack London (1876-1916)
• London was born in San Francis
co, California; he lived a hard lif
e, switching from job to job for
whatever money he could get,
after his father abandoned him
at a young age. He is one of th
e most highly acclaimed writers
of all time; his stories of life an
d death struggles are vivid and
engaging. Some of his works in
clude; The Call of the Wild, pub
lished in 1903; White Fang, pub
lished in 1906; “Lost Face,” pub
lished in 1910; and “The Night
Born,” published in 1913.

Naturalism
 Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)
• One of Dreiser's favorite fictio
nal devices was the use of con
trast between the rich and th
e poor, the urbane and the un
sophisticated, and the power
brokers and the helpless. Som
e of his works include; Twelve
Men, published in 1919; A Bo
ok About Myself, published in
1922; The Color of a Great Cit
y, published in 1923; An Amer
ican Tragedy, published in 19
25.

Naturalism
 Frank Norris (1870-1902)
• Norris studied in Paris, at t
he Univ. of California, and
Harvard. He also spent se
veral years as a war corres
pondent in South Africa (1
895-96) and Cuba (1898).
Some of his works include;
The Responsibilities of the
Novelist, published in 190
3; The Octopus, published
in 1901; and The Pit publis
hed in 1903.

Naturalism
 Willa Cather (1873-1947)
• Cather has been called, one o
f the most interesting female
writers in American literary hi
story. She was a teacher, a jo
urnalist and a critic as well as
a writer. She has a talent for
presenting settings, and chara
cters that are rich in language
and imagery. She also won a P
ulitzer Prize. Some of her wor
ks include; April Twilights, pu
blished in 1903; and O Pionee
rs!, published in 1913.

Regionalism
 William Faulkner (1897-1962)
• He served in both the Can
adian and the British Roya
l Air Force. He wrote mos
t of his novel on a farm in
Oxford, Mississippi. Some
of his novels included; The
Hamlet, published in 1940;
The Town, published in 19
57; and The Mansion, pub
lished in 1959.

Regionalism
 Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
• Chopin loved literature as
a child, and secluded hers
elf in it after her grandmo
thers death. She never ac
hieved much until 1884 w
hen she finally decided to
pursue a career in writing.
Some of her writing includ
ed; "Desiree’s Baby," publ
ished in 1893; "The Awake
ning," published in 1899.

Regionalism
 Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
• Hemingway won a Pulitzer Priz
e and Noble Peace Price for Lite
rature. He used concise, direct,
spare, objective, precise, rhyth
mic writing styles to create larg
er than life heroes, big game hu
nters, etc. Some of his works in
clude; The Sun Also Rises, publi
shed in 1922; A Farewell To Ar
ms published in 1929; For Who
m the Bell Tolls, published in 19
40.

Modernism
 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
• Fitzgerald wrote about th
e times. In his novel The G
reat Gatsby, published in
1925, he wrote about the
roaring twenties, a time w
hen no one cared about t
he future and they had fu
n with what they had then.
Some of his other works i
nclude; The Side of Paradi
se, published in 1920; and
The Beautiful and the Da
mned, published in 1922.
Modernism
 John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
• Steinbeck wrote about the bot
h the pains and joys of life. The
Grapes of Wraith, published in
1939, his most well known wor
k told the story of families ring
to survive and stay together du
ring the depression. In other w
orks like Tortilla Flat, published
in 1935, Steinbeck wrote about
the joys of life. Some of his oth
er works include; East of Eden,
published in 1952; Of Mice and
Men, published in 1937; and Th
e Pearl, published in 1947.

Modernism
 Robert Frost (1874-1963)
• America’s best known an
d most loved poet, Frost
wrote his poems in a tradi
tional verse form. He use
d the plain speech of rural
New Englanders. Some of
his works include; “Death
of the Hired Man,” publish
ed in 1951; “Birches,” pub
lished in1920; and “The R
oad Not Taken,” publishe
d in 1920.

Modernism
 J. D. Salinger (b.1919)
• Salinger studied at NYU, and Co
lumbia University. After which
he decided to devote his life to
his writing. His writing career
was interrupted by World War I,
where he served in the U.S. Ar
my. His most well known work
was his novel Catcher in the Ry
e, published in 1951, a novel ab
out a high school student who t
ries to run away from his life th
at he thinks is “phony.” Some
of his works are A Perfect Day f
or Bananafish published in 194
8; For Esmé With Love and Squ
alor, published in 1950.
Contemporary
 Stephen King (b.1947)
• King write novels that
frighten people. Som
e of his major works a
re; Carrie published in
1974; The Shining, pu
blishing in 1998; Sale
m's Lot, published in 1
993; and The Stand, p
ublished in 1991.

Contemporary
 Joyce Carol Oates (b.1938)
• Oates received a type writ
er at the age of fourteen a
nd trained herself to write
novel after novel through
high school and college. S
he earned an M.A. in Engli
sh at the University of Wis
consin. Some of her work
s include; Blonde, publish
ed in 2000; Wonderland,
published in 1971; and Th
e Tattooed Girl, published
in 2003.
Contemporary
 Robert Jordan (b.1948)-
• He went to the Citadel, the Mili
tary College of South Carolina,
where he received a degree in
physics. Jordan’s main area of
expertise is in the genre of fant
asy. He is currently in the proc
ess of writing a series of novel
entitled The Wheel of Time, so
me of the novels from this serie
s are, The Eye of the World, pu
blished in 1990; Crossroads of T
wilight, published in 2003; and
The Novel: New Spring publishe
d in 2004.

Contemporary