Later in this movement mid1800s, american literature flourished and matured with works like. Characteristics of colonial american literature pen and. Feminist literature portrays characters or ideas that attempt to change gender norms. Characteristics of 20th century american novel slideshare. Common themes in american literature include the great journey, the loss of innocence, the great battle, love and friendship, and revenge. The main characteristics of modernist literature pen and.
The history of american literature stretches across more than 400 years. Fitzgeralds characteristic theme, expressed poignantly in his masterpiece the great gatsby, is the tendency of youths golden dreams to dissolve in. You cant talk about realism without talking about the novel. It tends to examine, question, and argue for change against established and antiquated gender roles through the written word. American literature ranging from a struggling family of immigrants to a sports team overcoming odds and becoming victorious is not bound by our borders. American literature is often divided into five major periods. In modernist literature, the individual is more interesting than society. American literature is literature written or produced in the united states of america and its. It arrived in the united states in 1820 after the american revolution. A brief overview of the modernist movement in american literature. Colonial american literature emerged from the original u.
During the american revolution, romanticism became popular, and some of the characteristics include ordinary men becoming heroes, heightened emotions and imaginative scenarios. It was made up of a group of authors who wrote and published between about 1820 and 1860, when the u. Literature characteristics engl 2326 american literature loges. Main characteristics of american literature articles factory. The american romantics have given us some of the greatest symbols in all of american literature. Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement with roots in western europe during the 1770s. Imagine centuries of analysis the scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals. They tend to reject authority and to emphasize democracy and the equality of men. The first european settlers of north america wrote about their experiences starting in the 1600s. It can be divided into five major periods, each of which has unique characteristics, notable authors, and representative works. What are the 5 characteristics of american romantic. Gale takes literature, history and culture to the next level with the largest, most extensive compilation of literary commentary available. The colonial and early national period 17th century to 1830 the romantic period 1830 to 1870 realism and naturalism 1870 to 1910 the modernist period 1910 to 1945 the contemporary period 1945 to present. Given the size of the united states and its varied population, there are often several literary movements happening at the same time.
Gothic literature incorporates many unique characteristics that keeps the reader intrigued. Colonial american literature is characterized by the narrative. Like other national literatures, american literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. Before the high point of slave narratives, africanamerican literature was dominated by. In american literature, the term realism encompasses the period of time from the civil war to the turn of the century during which william dean howells, rebecca harding davis, henry james, mark twain, and others wrote fiction devoted to accurate representation and an exploration of american. For almost a century and a half, america was merely a group of colonies scattered along the eastern seaboard of the north american continentcolonies from which a few hardy souls. What are the characteristics of romantic literature. American authors have great respects for the value and importance of the individual.
The three characteristics of american literature include. They tend to reject authority and to emphasize democracy and the equality. This is part of a more generalized anthropomorphic tendency in native american folk traditions. What are some characteristics of puritan literature.
What are three characteristics of american literature. Start studying characteristics of postmodern american literature. The pioneer ideals of self reliance and independence appear again and again in american writings. Literature scholars differ over the years that encompass the modernist period, however most generally agree that modernist authors published as early as the 1880s and into the mid1940s. Get an answer for what are five characteristics in literary naturalism. What is it that entices people into reading about horror and darkness that has a mystifying attraction. Resources for course writing assignment on american authors. Africanamerican literature refers to literature written by americans of african descent. Modernist writers broke free of old forms and techniques. These include the infamous white whale in herman melvilles mobydick and the red letter a in nathaniel hawthornes the scarlett letter. The four main characteristics of literature are the plot, the setting, characterization and the theme.
In general, romantic literature is emotional, imaginative, and interested in beauty. Modernist literature was a predominantly english genre of fiction writing, popular from roughly the 1910s into the 1960s. Get an answer for descibe the characteristics of the 19th century american novel in detail. A few broad details of american literature movements are that they often followed characteristic english literary movements, but tended to be a few years behind ie. Before the founding of the united states, the british colonies on the eastern coast of the presentday united states were heavily influenced by english literature. Religion is prominent in colonial american literature. It can be divided into five major periods, each of which has unique characteristics.
Descibe the characteristics of the 19th century american. American romanticism was the first fullfledged literary movement that developed in the u. Second, american writers have always had a strong tendency to break with literary tradition and to strike out in their own directions. Characteristics of african american literature pen and. A puritan writers main focus was to glorify god and show reverence for the bible.
But three characteristics seem to stand out and give it a flavor all its own. Five characteristics of native american literature synonym. The number of writers who have acquired some amount of wellfounded reputation in. American literary movements characteristics of the periods.
Characteristics of romanticism in american literature video. Many of the characteristics of colonial american literature can be found in the poems, journals, letters, narratives, histories and. The most common genres were tracts, polemics, journals, narratives, sermons, and some poetry. Relating to american culture means relating to world culture. What are five characteristics in literary naturalism. What are the characteristics of american revolution. Characteristics of the 20 th century american novel by. What are characteristics of modernist literature, fiction. American writing began with the work of english adventurers and colonists in the new world chiefly for the benefit of readers in the mother country. Although there were certainly slaves writing in the early days of slavery and colonization, the africanamerican literary tradition began to take root in the 17th and 18th centuries, when former slaves such as frederick douglass.
American literature united states literature 1902 encyclopedia. American literary movements characteristics of the american literary movements student activity american literary movements native american tradition. The characteristics of american literature tend to follow movements in american history. Characteristics of colonial american literature narrative focus. Five characteristics of native american literature hero initiation. Characteristics the colonial period was dominated by puritan beliefs and thus literature of this period is usually historical, religious, or didactic. War and industrialization seemed to devalue the individual. What are some examples of themes in american literature. The carnage of two world wars profoundly affected writers of the period. While america continued to evolve and change the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, and the stock market crash of 1929 changed everything, modernism in american literature continued to. The united states has such a large and varied literature that we can make no true generalizations about it. American literature is literature written or produced in the united states of america and its preceding colonies for specific discussions of poetry and theater, see poetry of the united states and theater in the united states.
Animals represent tricksters in native american culture. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It begins with the works of such late 18thcentury writers as phillis wheatley. The characteristics of american gothic literature 930. I am interested to hear what you all think are the most important characteristics that distinguish american literature are. Additionally, animals may be given human behavioral characteristics such as a greed or jealousy. Get an answer for what are the characteristics of american literature. The university of michigan has composed a list of some of the basic characteristics of american culture in hopes to broaden americans understanding of their own culture as well as give people of other cultures the opportunity to better understand when and how. Africanamerican literature is the body of literature produced in the united states by writers of african descent. It is important for students of american literature to understand the author and characters attitudes.
Some of these early works reached the level of literature, as in the robust and perhaps truthful. The american dream is the largely unacknowledged screen in front of which all american writing plays itself out. Characteristics of romanticism in early american writing. During this period, society at every level underwent profound changes. The plot deals with how occurrences happen in a piece of literature. There are specific characteristics that identify this literary field or genre. We see these themes in romantic literature across cultures. Puritanism, and puritan literature, became popular in the 17th century. An appreciation of emotion, an artists unique spirit, a reverence for nature and a skepticism about human society are all characteristics of romantic literature. Some examples of the characteristics that may be included in american gothic are. The novel is the one genre that is most closely associated with the rise of realism as a movement. Characteristics of colonial american literature pen and the pad.
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