American literature (from the beginning to 20th century)
3 general characteristics of American writers:
reflect traditional and cultural values, try to find new ideas, use humor even in bad situations
American literature is the youngest of all literatures. For a long time it was very much under the influence of English literature and had a provincial and strongly Puritan character.
Enlightenment literature
- also known as the age of reason, Colonial Literature
- the period from the beginning up to the Civil War (1789-1861)
- the first books were histories and diaries dealing with the experience of newcomers
- then sermons and books of theological argument and political ones
- character – plane and simple, practical, configure out everything logically
- a) themes of novels and autobiographies – stories about captivity by Indians, conversion stories, criminal stories, stories by slaves
- b) political writings – French Indian War (1760s), the War of Independence (1775-1783; the Declaration of Independence), the Civil War
- Benjamin Franklin – helped with the Declaration
- Thomas Jefferson – wrote the Declaration (+4 other men), President
Romanticism
- proper American literature starts during this period
- 1820s-1850s
- the USA was in big development
- features: belief in individuals, nature, opposition to the proclaimed religion; truth can be expressed through arts, not through science
- writers were searching for national identity
- Nathaniel Hawthorne – Scarlet letter – a novel full of symbols, takes place in a puritan colony, gives picture about region history, woman has to wear A on clothes (symbol adulterer, has a girl with a preacher)
- Edgar Allan Poe – wrote poetry and novels, influenced the European literature of the first half of the 20th century, founder of detective story (influenced by the gothic novels)
– mysterious places, many secrets, interested in psychology
– the first American critic
– The Raven
- Herman Melville – representative of symbolism, he was sailor
– Moby Dick – give advices to sailors
Realism
- also called Gilded age (“pozlacená doba”) – came from Mark Twain
- 1860-1890
- after the Civil war
- people hope for better future
- prefer realistic outlook and novel work
- long passage of description (nature, situation) are common
- plot takes place in present and is chronological
- Mark Twain – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- Emily Dickinson
- Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass, free verse, influenced the avant-garde
Naturalism
- know as Transcendentalism
- 1890 – 1910
- supposed that people were the product of their environment or events of their life
- show social problems – drugs, alcohol, prostitution (=taboo)
- Steven Crain – The red badge of courage – about the Civil War