English-language literary heritage

American literature has its roots in the English-language literary heritage, but also includes contributions in other languages

American Revolutionary Period

Seminal political writings

The American Revolutionary Period laid the groundwork for the nation's literary tradition with influential political writings from figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson

Push for a unique American literary voice

Critics like John Neal urged writers to develop an authentic American literary style, leading to the pursuit of original literary paths by writers like Edgar Allan Poe

Contributions of key figures

Writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Harriet Beecher Stowe made significant contributions to shaping an American literary identity

Themes and movements

Transcendentalist movement

The Transcendentalist movement, led by figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, played a central role in shaping American literature in the nineteenth century

Abolitionist movement

The abolitionist movement gave rise to influential works by writers like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass, who addressed the injustices of slavery

Exploration of complex themes

Writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville explored complex themes in American society through works like "The Scarlet Letter" and "Moby-Dick."

Transformation in American literature

The modernist movement of the early twentieth century sought to break away from nineteenth-century literary traditions, leading to a transformation in American literature

Key figures and their contributions

F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Jazz Age

F. Scott Fitzgerald's works epitomized the Jazz Age of the 1920s, along with other writers like John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner who experimented with narrative techniques and forms

Modernist poets

Poets like Wallace Stevens, T. S. Eliot, and E. E. Cummings pushed the boundaries of poetic expression during the modernist era

Socially conscious writers

The Great Depression influenced socially conscious writers like John Steinbeck, whose works like "The Grapes of Wrath" depicted the plight of the dispossessed

Recognition of diverse voices

The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have seen an increased recognition of diverse voices in American literature, including those of immigrant, ethnic, and LGBT writers

Key authors and their contributions

Exploration of the African American experience

Authors like Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin have provided insights into the African American experience through their works

Asian American authors

Maxine Hong Kingston and Ocean Vuong have enriched the literary landscape with their works exploring the Asian American experience

LGBT authors

LGBT authors like Michael Cunningham have also made significant contributions to contemporary American literature