AMERICAN LITERATURE
One of the superpowers of our present global community. America has made its mark in literature. From
oral tradition of the Native Americans to internationally acclaimed works in contemporary times,
American literature has established an identity that is second to none.
History of American Literature
Before-European settlers arrived in North America, there was a diverse oral tradition among more than
500 Native American tribal cultures. The variety of literature may be attributed to the fact each tribe had
its own religion
Native Americans – cultures worshipped sacred persons, deities and even animals or plants.
In addition, the political and social order of the tribes also varied: there were councils, theocracies, and
early forms of democracies. Having been shaped these religious and political factors, pre colonial
American literature took the form of creation stories, legends, songs, tales, riddles, proverbs, fairy tales
and epics.
The coming of English colonist brought about the written aspect of American literature. Early accounts
of the colonists’ exploits in the New World became part of the American fabric, while also providing
documentation for their countrymen back in England.
Notable Text during this time included narratives from:
John Winthrop (pic) – puritan lawyer (1588-1649)
William Bradford (pic) – puritan separatist (1590-1657)
Captain John Smith (pic) – English soldier (1580-1631)
PURITAN LITERATURE
Puritanism
- The religious movement that aimed to lead individuals to the light of God’s Salvation.
- It became a great deal of American Literature.
Puritan
Served to transform the colonized and ensure that the colonizers themselves would walk the right path
Prominent names of Puritan Literature:
Thomas Hooker – (1586-1647) Preacher, Puritan Colonial Leader, “Father of Connecticut”
Roger Williams- (1603-1683) Puritan Minister, theologian and author, Founder of Rhode Island
Edward Johnson – (1598- 1672) Leading figure in Colonial Massachusetts, Founder of Woburn,
Massachusetts.
Cotton Mather – (1663-1728) American Congregational minister and author, Supporter of the old order
of the ruling clergy.
Jonathan Edwards – (1703- 1758) American Preacher, Greatest theologian and Philosopher of British
American Puritanism.
Edward Taylor – (1645-1729) American Poet, Foremost poets in Colonial British North America.
Anne Bradstreet – (1612-1672) American Poet, First poets to write English verse in American Colonies.
Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705) American Theologian and Writer, British- American Clergyman,
Physician and author of rhymed treatises expounding Puritan doctrines.
American Revolution
- Its onset, occurrence, and aftermath – brought about the rise of intellectuals who molded the identity
of the new country.
Writers in American Revolution:
Philip Freneau – (1752-1832) A pioneer of American lyrical Poetry, “Poet of the American Revolution”
Thomas Paine – (1737-1809) Political Propagandist, Effective in using the pamphlet,
Founding Fathers of America
Benjamin Franklin – (1706-1790) American Printer and Publisher, author, inventor and scientist and
diplomat.
Alexander Hamilton – (1755-1804) Major Author of the Federalist papers, First Secretary of the Treasury
of the United States (1789-1795)
Thomas Jefferson – (1743-1826) Became the President of United States (1801-1809)
18th Century
The theater scene and the novel were became famous in 18 th Century
Famous Playwright in Theater:
William Dunlap – (1766-1839) A Playwright, Artist, Historian and Pioneer Dramatist
Royall Tyler – (1757-1826) American author and lawyer
Note: Infused with theme of love for their newly liberated nation.
Earliest American Novelist:
William Brown – (1777-1857) An Irish-born Argentina admiral
Charles Brockden Brown – (1771-1810) American novelist. Historian and Editor of the Early National
Period.
Other American Novelist:
Washington Irving – (1783-1858) American short-story writer, Essayist, Biographer, Historian and
Diplomat, Author of the story; “Rip Van WIinkle”
James Fenimore Cooper – (178-1851) American, writer, Author of the novel; “The Last of the Mohicans”
Note: They became the first American writers who won critical acclaim for the European literary scene.
19th Century
The emerged of 2 literary movements; Transcendentalism and Romanticism.
Transcendentalism – promotes intuitive, spiritual thinking instead of scientific thinking based on
material things.
Famous Writers in Transcendentalism:
Henry David Thoreau – (1817-1862) American naturalist, Essayist, poet and Philosopher
Margaret Fuller – (1810-1850) American journalist, Editor, Critic, Translator and Women’s Rights
Advocate Associated with American transcendentalism movement
Ralph Waldo Emerson – (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, philosopher and poet
Romanticism – Arts and Literature that emphasized nature, imagination, emotion and the individual
Famous Writers in Romanticism:
Edgar Allan Poe - (1809-1849) American writer, poet, editor and literary critic
Walt Whitman – (1819-1892) American poet, essayist and journalist
Nathaniel Hawthorne – (1804-1864) American novelist, dark romantic and short story writer
Herman Melville – (1819-1891) American novelist, short story writer and poet.
Civil War
The division and tension led to the creation of realistic, passionate works.
Famous Writers during the Civil War:
Harriet Beecher Stowe – (1811-1896) American abolitionist and author, Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(anti-slavery)
William Gilmore Simm – (1806-1870) American author and Politician, Author of The Sword and the
Distaff
After the Civil War, regional literatures caught the attention of a national audience that sought the
rebuilding of their fractured America
Writers after the Civil War:
Mark Twain – (1835-1910) American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer
Bret Harte – (1836-1902) American short story writer and poet
George W. Cable – (1844-1925) American novelist
Henry Timrod - (1828-1867) American poet
19th Century Realism to Psychological
In the 19th Century, American fiction went from the realism of William Dean Howells to the psychological
mastery of Henry James and Edith Wharton
Writers in during this time:
William Dean Howells – (1837-1920) American Realist novelist, literary critic and playwright
Henry James – (1843-1916) American Author
Edith Wharton – (1862-1937) American novelist, short-story writer and designer
In Poetry meanwhile, was revolutionized by Emily Dickinson
Writers in Poetry:
Emily Dickinson – (1830-1886) American poet
Ezra Pound – (1885-1972) American Poet and Critic
E.E Cummings – (1894-1962) American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright
Robert Frost – (1874-1963) American Poet
Carl Sandburg – (1878-1867) Swedish-American poet, biographer, journalist and editor
Notes: In early 20th Century, Ezra Pound and E.E Cummings continued to push the boundaries of the
genre. Along with Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg.
In Early 1900’s
Fictionist drew from several ideas like the Marxian Social theory and the new psychology
Writers in this time:
Ernest Hemingway – (1899-1961) American journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and sportsman
John Steinbeck – (1902-1968) American author
F. Scott Fitzgerald – (1896-1940) American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer
Thomas Wolfe – (1900-1938) American novelist
The person who led the way for writers of drama:
Eugene O’Niell – (1888-1953) American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature
Writers who followed O’Niell:
Arthur Miller – (1915-2005) American playwright and essayist
Tennessee Williams – (1911-1983) American playwright
Maxwell Anderson – (1888-1959) American playwright, author, poet, journalist and lyricist
Philip Barry – (1896-1949) American dramatist
World War I
In the aftermath of World War I, African-American writers came to the forefront.
African-American Writers:
Langston Hughes – (1901-1967) American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from
Joplin, Missouri
Paul Lawrence Dunbar – (1872-1906) American poet, novelist, and playwright
Countee Cullen – (1903-1946) American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright
Contemporary Times: A Snapshot
20th Century
Marked the rise of the literary criticism in America
The influencer of the Literary Criticism:
Ezra Pound – (1885-1972) American Poet and Critic
Other Critics:
Edmund Wilson – (1895-1972) American writer and literary critics
Allen Tate – (1889-1979) American poet, essayist, social commentator and Poet Laureate.
Robert Penn Warren – (1905-1989) American novelist, poet, critic and teacher
Malcolm Cowley – (1898-1989) American literary critic and Social Historian
1960’s and 1970’s
Known for the best novelist who depicted the hollow, tense life of the contemporary America. And best
poets who became the leaders of the beat generation.
Novelist during this time:
Saul Bellow – (1915-2005) Canadian-American novelist
Hortense Calisher- (1911-2009) American writer of fiction
John Updike – (1932-2009) American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic
William Burroughs –(1914-1997) American writer and visual artist
Joyce Carol Oates – (1938-Present) American Writer
Poets during this time:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti – (1919-Present) American poet, painter, social activist
Gregory Corso – (1930-2001) American Poet
Allen Ginsberg – (1926-1997) American Poet and Writer
Events of Presidential Elections and Vietnam War
In the subsequent decades the political and social backdrop of the American nation provided plenty
materials for writers to work with
Writers depicted the Events:
Truman Capote – (1924-1984) American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, playwright, and actor
James Michener – (1907-1997) American Author
Don DeLillo – (1936-Present) American novelist
Peter Taylor – (1917-1994) American novelist, short story writer and playwright
1980’s and 1990’s
minorities continued to make their voices heard in the renowned works.
African-American Writers:
Toni Morrison – (1931-2019) American novelist, essayist, book editor, and college professor.
Alice Walker – (1944-Present) American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist
Latin Writers:
Sandra Cisneros – (1954-Present) Chicana Writer
Rudolfo Anaya – (1937-2020) American Author
Native American Writers:
Louise Erdrich – (1954-Present) American author, writer of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring
Native American characters and settings
N. Scott Momaday – (1934-Present) Kiowa novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet
