Eras in American Literature

GEEN 2312PROF. IVAN MUNDO

Puritanism: 1620- late 17th century

• Puritans believed in Original Sin. They also believed strongly that Jesus Christ had been sent to save particular people only (the "elect"). Since Puritans couldn't be sure who was a part of the saved crowd, they all behaved in an exemplary fashion in order to assure themselves a place in Heaven. Puritans valued self-reliance, industriousness, temperance, and simplicity, and these values can clearly be seen in their writings.

Puritanism: 1620- late 17th century

• Puritans modeled their writings on the Bible, and frequently used their own writings as a way to examine their emotional and physical lives for signs of God. Diaries and histories were the most plentiful type of Puritan writing, and writers usually focused on the acts of God. Puritan writers avoided complex figures of speech and stressed clarity above all else.

Rationalism/Deism: late 17th century- late 18th century

• Rationalists believed that humans could find truth through reason, rather than relying on religion, faith, intuition, or past scholars. The Age of Reason in Europe was founded on Rationalist thought. Rationalists believed God gave mankind Reason as a gift, and set about using it freely. In early America, the Age of Reason was seen in the forced mechanations necessary to survival- man had to use reason to find ways of simply surviving in the difficult environment.

Rationalism/Deism: late 17th century- late 18th century

• Deists basically were Rationalists who believed specifically that God made it possible for all people at all times to uncover natural laws by using their power of reason. Deists thought the universe was orderly and good, and people were inherently good. Deists also believed that God's objective was the happiness of his creations. So, a major goal of deism was to help make the happiness of others possible. Rationalist/Deist writings exhibit a benevolent, if not altogether positive view, of humanity. These writings do not focus upon God, but rather upon logic and reason. Rationalist/Deist writings also tend to either act as didactic works, or as a way of helping others to help themselves achieve happiness.

American Romanticism: 1800-1860

• Romanticism is the journey away from the corruption of society, civilization, and the limits of all rational thought; the journey leads toward nature and all its integrity and the overall freedom of the imagination. Romanticism believed that intuition, imagination, and emotion marked a clearer route to truth than reason alone. Romanticism believed poetry to be superior to science, and that the contemplation of the natural world is the means of discovering the "truth".

American Romanticism: 1800-1860

• Romanticism exhibited a distrust of industry and city life, and the idealization of rural life and the wilderness. Romanticism also explored a deep interest in the supernatural Romantic writing frequently uses the countryside as a backdrop, the perfect symbol of freedom and moral clarity. However, some Romantic writers (like Poe) used purely fictional locations as their "countryside". Romantic literature often involves an escape from civilization and responsibility, frequently leading to a more simplistic life. Prominent Romantic writers journeyed to the understanding of higher truth either by exploring the past/exotic/supernatural realms, or through the contemplation of the natural world.

American Renaissance: 1840-1860

• The American Renaissance brought about the exploration of the darker side of human existence. This period marked the distinct breaking of American writers from their European counterparts. This period produced a number of classic American writers and their masterpieces. Like the European Renaissance, this time period also produced a noticeable cultural vitality and push toward social improvement. The American Renaissance was born at the end of the Romantic age. Major writers of this time period fell into one of two categories: Transcendentalist or Anti-Transcendentalist. Anti-Transcendentalists did not hold that all things in nature and mankind were inherently good. Anti-

American Renaissance: 1840-1860

• Transcendentalists held that God can be found in every aspect of nature (including humanity), and that everyone is capable of reaching God through intuition. Transcendentalists also believed that nature itself is a reflection of the Divine Soul, and that self-reliance and individuality must outweigh conformity.

American Renaissance: 1840-1860

• Transcendentalist writings often assert a positive spiritual reason behind each occurrence in nature. Transcendentalist writings frequently hail the beauty of rebellion, the rejection of society, and the struggle toward inner peace and understanding. The Anti-Transcendentalists , also known as Dark Romantics, valued intuition over logic and reason (like the Transcendentalists). Whereas Transcendentalism held a very optimistic view of the world,

American Renaissance: 1840-1860

• Anti-Transcendentalists did not hold that all things in nature and mankind were inherently good. Anti-Transcendentalist writers explored the struggle between good and evil, the psychological impact of guilt and sin, and madness.

American Renaissance: 1840-1860• Anti-Transcendentalists did not hold that all

things in nature and mankind were inherently good. Anti-Transcendentalist writers explored the struggle between good and evil, the psychological impact of guilt and sin, and madness.

Realism: 1850-1900

• Realism marked a straying from the idealized view of mankind and the unrealistic portrayal of humanity toward a brutally honest portrayal of mankind and life. The movement aimed to realistically portray life, without altering it through layers of personal feelings, romanticism, or idealism.

• Realist writers described the environment and manners of everyday life, the challenges, the hardships, and the small victories. Realist writers also sought to explain why ordinary people behave the way they do- and used biology, physiology, and sociology to do so, along with personal observation and insight. Regionalist writers, a form of Realism, focused on one small region of the country.

Realism: 1850-1900

• Regionalist writers attempted to not only accurately portray a small geographic area, but also the speech and manners of that particular region. Naturalists, another leg of Realism, relied more heavily on psychology and sociology, and frequently attempted to objectively dissect the psyche of their characters throughout their work.

• Naturalist writings made it clear that behavior was determined by one's environment, and that mankind was helpless against the natural laws of the universe.

Modernism: 1900-1950• The Modernist era is marked by disillusionment with

tradition and the loss of innocence. This era heralded experimentation and the total rejection of traditional themes and styles.

• Modernist writers typically embraced one of three ideas, collectively known as the American Dream: admiration for America as a new Eden, optimism, and the ultimate triumph of the individual. Modern writers tend to blend these three distinct beliefs throughout their writings, while also conveying the disappointment inevitably following such high expectations. In poetry, two forms of Modernism evolved:

Modernism: 1900-1950

• Symbolism (use of representation of ideas through concrete objects) and Imagism (using imagery and visual interpretation to project ideas). The Harlem Renaissance, helped to revolutionize American poetry by introducing ghetto speech and jazz and blues rhythm into verse. Modernist writers challenged and communicated the American dream, while continuing to ask fundamental questions about the purpose and meaning of existence.

Contemporary Literature: 1950- present

• Contemporary Fiction, also known as Postmodernism, tends to allow multiple interpretations of the work itself. The writings in this period reflect the rapidly changing technology, atomic concerns, and many scientific possibilities that loom in the future. Contemporary Literature frequently mesh reality and dreamlike worlds. Characters may tell different versions of the same story, allowing the reader to extract multiple interpretations of the same work.

• Postmodernist writers often structure their work in nontraditional formats, and blatantly break from conventional rules of fiction. Contemporary fiction also frequently comments upon itself. Contemporary writers also blend cultural diversity, sometimes blend fiction and nonfiction, and fearlessly use the past to explore subjects, images, and themes.

Four Main Literature Eras and Historical moments

1066 - The Norman Invasion, and the birth of early modern English. At this time, works like "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" were written in early modern English.

Late 1500s, Early 1600s

• Late 1500s, Early 1600s - Elizabethan Era, and the time of Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. Plays become big in this era as a form of entertainment. Also, the birth of Romantic Poetry comes from around this time.

Revolutionary Late 1700s

• Revolutionary Late 1700s, Early 1800s - The rise of Industry, and the rebellion against it. There is also the Revolutionary War, and the rise of anti-French sentiments in England. Also this is the birth of America, and thus American novelists like Mark Twain.

Post War 1919-1949 -

• Post War 1919-1949 - The end of the World Wars, and rise of individualism. There is also an insurgency of British Authors called the "Angry Young Men" who write rebellious stories, poems, and plays.