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LECTURE TWO:
American Literature Periods
Objectives:
Aim: At the end of this lecture, students will be able to:
1.identify the main features of each literary movement in America;
2.compare the main contributions of American writers, poets and playwrights;
3. use the themes and aspects to write poetry or prose.
1- American Literary Movements:
The following timeline shows the period of each American literary movement and its duration.
Pre-colonial: Native American Literature
1620-1750: Puritan Literature
1607-1775: Colonial Literature
1775-1783: Revolutionary Age
1775-1830: Early National Literature
1830-1865: American Romanticism
1865-1914: Naturalism
1914-1940: Modernism and Experimentation
1945 – 1970: Postmodernism
1970- present: Post-Postmodernism



Period Dates Period Name PeriodCharacteristics FamousAuthors
and Works
Arrived 40,000 - Native Americans 1. Oral literature: epic narratives, creation
20,000 B.C myths, stories, poems, songs.
2. Use stories to teach moral lessons and
convey practical information about the natural
world.
3. Deep respect for nature and animals
4. Cyclical world view
5. Figurative language/parallelism

1600-1800 Puritanism 1. Wrote mostly diaries and histories, which William Bradford (“Of
expressed the connections between God an Plymouth Plantation”),

First “American” theireverydaylives. Anne Bradstreet (poetry),
Colonies 2. Sought to “purify” the Church of England Jonathan Edwards
Established by reforming to the simpler forms of worship (“Sinners in the Hands of
and church organization described in the New an AngryGod”), Edward
Salem Witch Trials Testament Taylor (“Huswifery”)
3. Saw religion as a personal, inner
experience.
4. Believed in original sin and “elect” who
wouldbesaved.
5. Used a plain style of writing
1750-1800 Rationalism 1. Mostlycomprised of philosophers, Benjamin Franklin
scientists, writing speeches and pamphlets. (Autobiography), Patrick


RevolutionaryWar “The Age of 2. Human beings can arrive at truth (God’s Henry (“Speech to the
Reason” rules) by using deductive reasoning, rather Virginia Convention”),
The Constitution, than relying on the authority of the past, on Thomas Paine (“The

The Bill of Rights, “The Enlighten- religiousfaith, or intuition. Crisis”), Phyllis Wheatley
and The ment” (poetry)
Declaration of
Independence
werecreated.
1800-1860 Romanticism 1. Valued feeling, intuition, idealism, and Washington Irving (“Rip
inductive reasoning. Van Winkle”), Emily
Industrialization 2. Placed faith in inner experience and the Dickinson (poetry), Walt
power of the imagination. Whitman (Leaves of

War of 1812 3. Shunned the artificiality of civilization and Grass), Edgar Allan Poe

seek unspoiled nature as a path to spirituality. (“The Raven”), Nathaniel
California Gold 4. Championed individual freedom and the Hawthorne (The Scarlet
Rush worth of the individual. Letter)
5. Saw poetry as the highest expression of
the imagination.
6. Dark Romantics: Used dark and
supernatural themes/settings (Gothic style)

1840-1860 Transcendentalism 1. Everything in the world, Including human Ralph Waldo Emerson
beings, is a reflection of the Divine Soul (Nature, “Self-Reliance”),


Abolitionist, “The American 2. People can use their intuition to behold Henry David Thoreau
Utopian, and Renaissance” God’s spirit revealed in nature or in their own (Walden, Life in the

Women’s Suffrage souls. Woods).

Movements 3. Self-reliance and individualism must Louisa May Alcott (Little
outweigh external authority and blind Women)
conformity to tradition



1850-1900 Realism 1. Feelings of disillusionment Mark Twain (Huckleberry

2. Common subjects; slums of rapidly Finn), Jack London (Call


Civil War growing cities, factories replacing farmlands, of the Wild, “To Build a

poor factory workers, corrupt politicians Fire,”) Stephen Crane
Reconstruction 3. Represented the manner and environment (“The Open Boat”),
of everyday life and ordinary people as Ambrose Bierce (“An
realistically as possible (regionalism) Occurrence at Owl Creek
4. Sought to explainbehaviour Bridge”), Kate Chopin
(psychologically/socially). (“Story of an Hour,” The
Awakening)
1900-1950 Modernism 1. Sense of disillusionment and loss of faith in Lorraine Hansberry (A

the “American Dream”: the independence, Raisin in the Sun), F.

World War I self-reliant, individual will triumph. Scott Fitzgerald (The


2. Emphasis on bold experimentation in style Great Gatsby), William

The Great and form over the traditional. Faulkner (“A Rose for
Depression 3. Interest in the inner workings of the human Emily”). Eudora Welty (“A
mind (ex. Stream of consciousness). Worn Path”),Robert Frost
World War II (poetry), T.S. Eliot (The

Waste Land, “Love Song

of J. Alfred Prufrock”),
John Steinbeck (Of Mice

and Men, Grapes of
Wrath)
1920-1940 Harlem 1. Black cultural movement in Harlem, New James Weldon Johnson,
Renaissance York Claude McKay, Countee
“The New Negro 2. Some poetry rhythms based on spirituals, Cullen, Langston Hughes
Movement” “The Jazz Age” and jazz, lyrics on the blues, and diction from (poetry), Zora Neale
the street talk of the ghettos Hurston
Prohibition “The Roaring 20s”” 3. Other poetry used conventional lyrical
Forms
1950-1970 1. Influenced by studies of media, language, Alice Walker, Wallace
and information technology Stevens, E. E.
KoreanWar “Postmodernism” 2. Sense that little is unique; culture endlessly Cummings, Maya
duplicates and copies itself Angelou, Anne Sexton,

Vietnam War 3. New literary forms and techniques: works James Baldwin, Richard
composed of only dialogue or combining Wright, Sandra Cisneros,
fiction and nonfiction, experimenting with Amy Tan
physical appearance of their work
1970 onward «Post- Postmodernism » Post-postmodernism is an inclusive set of changes as well as developments in different domains: culture, economy, politics philosophy and art, to complete and, at times, react to postmodern era. It marks distinct features and aspects.