AMERICAN LITERATURE

EARLY AMERICAN AND COLONIAL PERIOD (early 15th century)

orally transmitted myths, legends, tales, and lyric songs of Indian cultures

EARLY AMERICAN AND COLONIAL PERIOD (early 15th century)

There was no written literature among the more than 500 different Indian languages and tribal cultures that existed in North America before the first Europeans arrived.

Christopher Columbus (THE LITERATURE OF EXPLORATION (16th century))

Italian explorer funded by the Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella

Christopher Columbus (THE LITERATURE OF EXPLORATION (16th century))

EPISTOLA - printed in 1493 which recounts his voyages

Captain John Smith (THE LITERATURE OF EXPLORATION (16th century))

leader of the Jamestown colony

Captain John Smith (THE LITERATURE OF EXPLORATION (16th century))

POCAHONTAS - favorite daughter of Chief Powhatan, saved Captain Smith's life when he was a prisoner of the chief; their marriage initiated an eight-year peace between the colonists and the Indians

Puritans

believed in God’s ultimate sovereignty in granting grace and salvation; therefore, their lives center on three important covenants – Works, Grace, and Redemption.

Puritans

believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it;

Non-Separating Puritans

believed in reform but not separation.

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THE AMERICAN ENLIGHTENMENT (18th to 19th century)

rationality rather than tradition

THE AMERICAN ENLIGHTENMENT (18th to 19th century)

scientific inquiry instead of unquestioning religious dogma

THE AMERICAN ENLIGHTENMENT (18th to 19th century)

representative government in place of monarchy

Benjamin Franklin

reason, individual freedom, and the pursuit of knowledge

13 VIRTUES (Benjamin Franklin)

- guide to achieve personal perfection

Thomas Jefferson

one of the founding figures of the United States, reflecting concepts such as liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness

COMMON SENSE (Thomas Jefferson)

- pivotal pamphlet that argued for American independence from Britain

ROMANTIC PERIOD (1820 - 1860)

originated in Germany but quickly spread to Europe and reached America 20 years after William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge had revolutionized English poetry by publishing Lyrical Ballads.

Art

as something that would best express universal truth

Self

is prime focus and major theme

Psychological states

are explored

Sublime

as an effect of beauty in grandeur, produced feelings of awe, reverence, vastness, and a power beyond human comprehension

Edgar Allan Poe

famous for his exploration of the macabre and contributed significantly to the development of the modern short story

Edgar Allan Poe

A TELL-TALE HEART - a chilling short story that explores the narrator's descent into madness after murdering an old man

Herman Melville

man's place in the universe

Herman Melville

MOBY DICK - Captain Ahab is consumed by his quest to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick, which had previously maimed him

REALISM (20th century)

focuses on the harsh realities of life and gives the reader a true sense of “local color”

Mark Twain

captured the complexities of American life

Mark Twain

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN - follows the journey of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy who escapes from his troubled home life, and Jim, a runaway slave, as they travel along the Mississippi River.

Stephen Crane

focused on themes like war, poverty, and human resilience

Stephen Crane

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE - psychological experience of warfare through Henry Fleming, a young Union soldier during the American Civil War

Kate Chopin

feminist writer

Kate Chopin

THE STORY OF AN HOUR - follows Louise Mallard, a woman with a heart condition, as she learns of her husband's sudden death in a train accident

MODERNISM AND EXPERIMENTATION (1914-1945)

The world depression of the 1930s affected most of the population of the United States.

MODERNISM AND EXPERIMENTATION (1914-1945)

The period between the two world wars was dubbed as the United States’ “coming of age”

MODERNISM AND EXPERIMENTATION (1914-1945)

Gertrude Stein termed this age as the "Period of the Lost Generation."

Ezra Pound

best known for his clear, visual images, fresh rhythms, and muscular, intelligent, unusual lines

CANTO LXXXI (Ezra Pound)

- "What thou lovest well remains, the rest is dross," emphasizes cherishing what matters most in life amidst its fleeting nature

Robert Frost

combines sound and sense in his frequent use of rhyme and images

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN (Robert Frost)

thought-provoking poem about choices and their impact on life

FIRE AND ICE (Robert Frost)

two possible ends of the world: fire, representing passion and desire, and ice, symbolizing hatred and indifference

STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING (Robert Frost)

tension between life's responsibilities and the desire to appreciate its fleeting moments

THE AFFLUENT BUT ALIENATED 1950S

saw the delayed impact of modernization and technology in everyday life left over from the 1920s

THE AFFLUENT BUT ALIENATED 1950S

provided most Americans with time to enjoy long-awaited material prosperity

THE AFFLUENT BUT ALIENATED 1950S

Some of the best works portray men who fail in the struggle to succeed

Loneliness

at the top was a dominant theme. The 1950s was actually a decade of subtle and pervasive stress