Studied by 29 people
Literary and Historical context on American literary canon
Who? When? What? Effect?
American Dream
Horatio Alger
19th century
hard-work & perseverance → wealth and greatness
perpetuated myth of American Dream
Who? When? What?
American Dream
Henry Clay
first coined term in 1842
being ‘self made’- can achieve greatness from nothing
success of an individual lies within themselves and not with outside conditions
Who? When? What?
American Dream
Jacob Riis
1890
photojournalism depicting slum life in New York tenement houses
exposing poverty and flaws behind the American dream
What did it say? Effect?
American Dream
all men are created equal with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Thomas Jefferson- the pursuit of happiness 1776
closely related to the American dream- as it belongs to the inalienable rights which cannot be denied
every American has the right to realise his individual dreams without being stopped
Who? When? Plot? AP?
Race
Richard Wright
Published 1940
Plot
Books divided into Fear, Flight, Fate
each book has a climax- murder of Mary, discovery of Mary’s remains, Bigger’s trial and death sentence
Limited third person narrative- almost exclusively told from Bigger’s perspective exploring his emotions
Bigger poor black man living in the 30s and his experience with racism and prejudice
Rich white estate barons who keep black people renting in the South Side and not white neighbourhoods
Commits murder and rape
the fear, hatred, and anger that racism has impressed upon Bigger Thomas ravages his individuality so severely that his only means of self-expression is violence. After killing Mary Dalton, Bigger must contend with the law, the hatred of society, and his own destructive inner feelings.
AP/ Analysis
forces us to consider devastating effects of the environment he was raised in and how this informs his social condition
asserts how Bigger is not born a violent criminal, he is a ‘native son’- a product of violence & racism that suffuse American culture
forced to retain a cool and tough exterior in order to contain his feelings of shame and fear
faced with feelings of shame and fear caused by the restrictions he cannot control and how when confronted with these overwhelming emotions it is often translated into violence
failure of the American Dream- Bigger is disillusioned as realises this dream is ultimately unattainable as his race and social status define his life and he is forced to operate under these restrictions put in place by American society
complexity of race relations- how the superiority of the white race places bigger in both a disadvantages race and social strata
Links to Gatsby and Grapes of Wrath
disillusionment to American society
Bigger failed by racist institutions that will forever put him at a disadvantage eg. justice system
GoW- migrant farmers exploited by capitalist systems
segregation- Bigger confined to living in south side of Chicago and tapped paying artificially high rents to white tenants as he is not allowed to live in other areas due to his race
poor industrial workers confined to the ‘Valley of Ashes’ as they cannot afford to live in expensive areas such as West and East egg
Who? When? Plot? AP?
Race
Nella Larsen
Published 1929
Plot
Follows Irene and Clare who are both women who can ‘pass’
Irene marries a dark skin man and enjoys vibrant social life during Harlem Renaissance and only passes occasionally
Clare marries a wealthy white man living her life as a white woman- she however re-enters Irene’s life and desires inclusion in the vibrant African American society of the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance- development of NYC neighbourhood of Harlem as a black cultural epicentre in the early 20th century
AP
self interest and loyalty
Irene is loyal to her race and proud of her blackness whilst Clare is presented as putting her self-interest first as she abandons the Black community in favour of passing as white
however at the end Larsen asserts that like Clare Irene will also put her self-interest first if her loyalty to her race put her security at risk
performative nature of such American identities
complicated race relations present in American society
risks that come with passing
Irene finds comfort in security and control and only passes when convenient
whereas Clare is putting everything at risk leading life as a passing white woman
how Clare increasingly infiltrates Irene’s circle and is able to immerse herself in Harlem whilst also experiencing the privilege of passing as white
the role of identity and how experience shapes an individual
identity also in turn shapes one’s experience
Links to Gatsby
John Bellew and Tom Buchanan- hold views of racial superiority
Clare and Mrytle trying to climb the social ladder albeit in different ways
both pay the price of trying to achieve social mobility
Myrtle gets hits by car and Clare falls to her death
Who? When? AP? Role of religion in race?
Race
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Published 1852
Uncle Tom- black uncle archetype; infantilised, simple-minded characters
Christianity- imbues morality and transcends race
Uncle Tom is defined by his Christianity
invoking humanity into Black people by presenting them as pious and religious
depicts civilising and unifying effects of religion
however, this meant without religion black characters had no separate identity
What? Purpose? Effect?
Race
A literary movement where mostly slaves or former slaves would chronicle their lives and experiences
built on the emotional power of captivity narratives and used the authority of the Bible
made it more digestible for a white audience
political and social tool inspiring abolitionist movements
literacy used as a form of power and resistance- illegal for slaves to have access to this knowledge
AP, methods, impact
Slave Narratives
Race
Alive 19th century (mid 1800s-late 1800s)
uses I to give him equal footing with his white audience
extols the virtues of the self-made man and sees himself as deserving the same rights as a white man- using familiar American concepts
inspired abolitionist movement and his autobiography was testament to power of African American liberation
AP, methods, impact
Slave narratives
Race
first to write about unspoken truth of black women in slavery
power of personal experience carefully crafted to appeal to reader’s emotions
uses techniques common in a sentimental novel (popular with white woman)
succeeded in gaining sympathy of her white audience
Who? When? Plot? AP/ Themes?
Immigration/Movement
(Migrant worker experience)
Willa Cather
Published 1918
Plot
Memoir of Nebraska childhood from Jim Burden’s perspective mostly talking about his friend Antonia Shimerda
Antonia faces much hardships following her father’s suicide- representing the migrant experience
Jim and Antonia drift as she takes up a job to support her family whilst Jim is able to attend school and receive a higher education
AP/ Main Themes
Humankind’s relationship to past
Jim’s continual yearning and reminiscing of his time in Nebraska, his content and happiness being surrounded by nature and familiar land
relationship to the land/ environment
immigrant experience in American
traditional nature of late 19th-century frontier values
Link to Gatsby and Grapes of Wrath
Nick and Jim similar in they both faced with the realities of society moving westward both end up in New York- however they both yearn/ move back to the Midwest
Gatsby like Jim continually yearns for the past trying to recreate his relationship with Daisy in the present like Jim does with Antonia
both authors suggest the past is unrecoverable but whilst Jim is able to incporate his past in Nebraska with his present life, Gatsby is too wound up in his own illusion of life he suffers a terrible fate
Importance of land and nature- connection to land shapes your identity and psychology
Grapes of Wrath state of the land directly influences migrant farmers mental states
My Antonia Jim feels free in the pastoral setting of the Nebraska praries
Who? When? Plot? AP/Themes?
Movement, Social Status
Theodore Dreiser
Published 1900
Plot
Follow two characters
Carrie- ordinary girl low paid wage earner → high paid actress
George Hurstwood- member of upper middle class → falls from status to live on streets
They have an affair → rushed marriage but after Hurstwood is unable to find steady work Carrie leaves him and becomes successful actress whilst Hurstwood living on the street ends up committing suicide
Main Themes
Themes: urban life and decay, morality and instinct , wealth and social status
neither character earns their fate through virtue or vice rather than through random circumstance
Carrie even after achieving fame feels unfulfilled
Ever changing identities reflecting the modern American experience due to the developing capitalist economy
rural American → urban cities to find jobs and build new life
deals with new consumer society in turn of the century
Links to Gatsby and Grapes of Wrath
effects of poverty- Hurstwood commits suicide after he falls from status and is plummeted into a life of poverty on the streets
Carrie and Gatsby moving from rural smaller city to big urban city to try achieve a better life
unfulfilment of the rich- even after Carrie becomes a high paid actress she ultimately feels unsatisfied and lonely similar to Gatsby
similarly to Joads who go to city to find work are met with disappointment with underpaid menial jobs
Links to wider texts
Historical context
Movement
movement to find new jobs and opportunities in bustling urban cities
opportunities especially seen during industrial revolution in the 19th century
migrants also moved to urban spaces to find jobs in this new America
Seen in Grapes of Wrath move from rural farms → California
Sister Carrie moves to urban city to find new jobs
Great Gatsby move from West → New York
What? Links to wider texts
Nature/Land
Key motif in American writing characters long to reunite with their first home, go back to the fresh potential American land offered before industrialisation and the breakdown of morals
the feminisation of American land often described as
motherland
breast of the new world (Gatsby)
Who? When? Plot? AP?
Gender- Femininity
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Published 1892
Plot
short story following life of a woman who is confided to a room with yellow wallpaper due to her health condition
mental state deteriorates and this is reflected through the changing nature of the wallpaper
AP
rigid gender constructs → restricts women → keeps them ideal and confined → deteriorating mental health
the yellow wallpaper- a symbol of patriarchal society; women trapped inside wallpaper represent women trapped in a wider patriarchal society
critiques society of their treatment towards women and their mental health
warns of dangerous consequences of both physical and intellectual restrictions on women
When? Conventions?
Literary Movement
1861-1865
Realism- movement from mid 19c to early 20c
accurate, detailed and unembellished depiction of human nature and contemporary life
rejects imaginative idealisation- traditional forms of expression (romanticism)
focuses on presenting reality as it is and exposing social truth and society through this
When? Conventions?
Literary Movement
1890s-1930s
Naturalism- reaction against perceived limitation of realism; still very similar focusing on depicting of real world
focusing on those at bottom rung of society/ condemnation of social inequalities
depicts humans at whim of forces beyond control
attacks society- more pessimistic, nihilistic outlook
When? Convention? Links to wider texts
Literary Movement
1914-1940s
Reaction against formulaic story-telling of 19c
self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing
wider rebelling against traditions of society through literature
experimentation with form and expression
What? Who?
Literary Context
group of writers during post-war period who were disillusioned and felt their values had not place in this post-world society
bleak, nihilistic outlook much of their literature exposing the social ills within American society
Included Fitzgerald and Steinbeck
When? What?
Historical context
1865-1898 Mid to late 19th- century
period of rapid industrialization in America → economic growth
however, this prosperity was merely surface level
under this gilded ‘golden age’ → suffering of workers, awful working conditions, poverty and corruption present in government and business
Term coined by Mark Twain
When? What
Historical Context
1920s
period of ecnomic reocvery and prosperity
rapid industrial growth, cultural prosperity as a result
gave rise to consumerist and hedonistic culture
When? What?
Historical Context
1929-1939
Following Wall Street Crash
severe increase in unemployment and poverty
decline of industry and economic hardship and stagnation
What?
Historical Context
19th Century belief
permeates American consciousness
cultural belief that American settlers were destined to expand across North America
Frontier- encompassed geography, history and culture associated with American expansion in the West
Frontier was a place that exists at the very edge of American civilisation
goal was to expand this Frontier
What? Links?
Historical Context
the habit or principle of being independent or self-reliant
a social theory favouring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control
Links to American Dream as every individual is given the chance for stimulation and development in America to achieve their goals
Note 
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