American Literary History Exam Review Sheet
In literary studies, as in all subjects, experts must 1) choose what is and is not important
enough to be included in the given subject or history and 2) decide how to put the things they’ve
chosen into order.
A canon is a core group of texts that experts in a given area consider essential. The
Western Canon is, therefore, the core group of texts with which one must be acquainted to be
considered an educated member of Western civilization, which is the term we use to describe
Western Europe and its colonies. When a writer is included in the Western canon, he or she is
not just a writer; he or she is a “great” writer…… But how do we put the “important” texts of
these “great” writers into any sort of order?
This is where the concept of periodization becomes essential. Periodization is the act of
breaking history down into historical periods based on common traits and common influences.
Literary historians construct periods by figuring out how writers are similar (common traits) and
why they are similar (common influences). To do this, they look for periods of time when writers
seem to be talking about similar things in similar ways and for similar reasons. The similar things
they talk about are the themes or content they address, and the similar ways they talk are the
style or form their writings take. When literary historians find these similarities, they look for
cultural or historical events that might have influenced writers to produce the works they have
produced.
American literary history began with two major events: when John Smith founded the
Jamestown Colony in 1606, and when the pilgrims founded the Massachussets Bay Colony in
1620. These are the first major examples of the New World’s colonization, so it makes sense that
this is (aside from the rich, Native American oral tradition) the beginning of American literature
and of what we call the Colonial Period, the period when the New World was explored and
colonized (mostly by the English) and when the United States were called colonies of the English
throne. The Colonial Period ends when the colonies began to revolt against the English throne.
We celebrate Independence Day on July 4, because on that day in 1776, the Declaration of
Independence was signed. The Revolution had begun. Thus, the Colonial Period took place
roughly between 1606 and 1776.
One important aspect of the Colonial Period that deserves its own paragraph is the fact
that the Massachussets Bay Colony was founded by people who practiced a form of Christianity
called Puritanism, which had a tremendous influence on American literature and culture.
William Bradford’s history and Ann Bradstreet’s poetry are direct products of Puritanism, and
Jonathan Edward’s sermons and Nathanial Hawthorne’s fiction were indirect byproducts of
Puritanism. (Hawthorne is a member of Romantic Period, but his writings have Puritan roots.)
The Puritans had a number of distinctive beliefs, such as predestination (the belief that God
marked each person for either salvation or damnation before the world began), grace (the feeling
or sense of confidence of some Puritans that they were predestined for salvation), and the
Puritan ethic (the belief that when a Puritan’s hard work made him or her wealthy and
successful, it was proof of predestined salvation). The Puritan ethic continues today in the shame
that people often feel for being unproductive (and thus, in some sense, unworthy of God’s love)
in a capitalist society. The Puritans are equally famous for the rigid moral strictures and
superstitious judgments that led to the Salem Witch Trials in 1691-92. Puritan values were
revived by the powerful rhetoric of sermonizers such as Edwards during a period of renewed
religious belief that is now called the Great Awakening, which began in 1735.
Our next period, the Revolutionary Period, began in 1776. Based on the same logic as
we employed in discussing the Colonial Period, we must determine when the Revolutionary
Period ends. It ends when the revolution is over and when the American government has finally
settled in and replaced the British colonial government. The Revolutionary Period ended in 1800
when Washington D.C. was named capital of the United States. Thus, the Revolutionary Period
took place roughly between 1776 and 1800.
During the Revolutionary Period, Thomas Jefferson had written that “all men are created
equal”; he had written that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends
[of freedom and equality], it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish [that government]…”
After the American Revolution, Americans began to feel a great sense of freedom, idealism and
endless possibility. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Revolutionary Period led American
literature into what we call the Romantic Period (or Romanticism). Romantics focus on the
way the world ought to be. Romantics who thought about government and society dreamed of a
utopia, a perfect world or society. Romantics like Emerson (also called Transcendentalists)
who thought about individualism and the arts, dreamed of transcendence, of overcoming
obstacles and reaching the greatest heights of human achievement. Finally, Romantics like Irving
and Hawthorne (also called Anti-Transcendentalists), while agreeing that the future offers
endless possibilities, urged Emerson and the Transcendentalists to remember that not all of these
possibilities were good. They wanted the Transcendentalists to remember that some choices lead
to evil. Yet these concerns with transcendence and the supernatural began to seem irrelevant with
the advent of the American Civil War in 1861. The Romantic Period took place between 1800
and 1861.
Our next period, the Realist Period (or Realism), began with the advent of the Civil
War in 1861 and it continued into the 20th century. Realists focus on the way the world is. John
Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is a good example of Realist writing, because it portrays the
difficulties of life during the Great Depression, the racist treatment that African-Americans like
Crooks endured, and the ignorance and cruelty that was pervasive in working-class America. An
earlier Realist novel that we will soon read is Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
which portrays the cruelties of the institution of slavery as it was practiced in the American South
around the time of the Civil War. The Realist Period took place between 1861 and 1914, when
World War I began, ushering in the Modern Period.
There are also a number of important oppositions that you should keep in mind as you
study: First, there is the opposition between a Puritan mindset, which wishes to conform to
moral norms and obey authorities, and an opposing Revolutionary mindset, which wishes to
question authorities and prefers non-conformism if rules run counter to one’s conscience or one’s
sense of justice. Second, there is a Transcendentalist mindset, which believes that humans
should aspire toward the divine and seek transcendence even at the risk of evil, and an opposing
Anti-Transcendentalist mindset, which seeks union with God only through goodness and the
avoidance of evil. Finally, there is a Romantic mindset, which is generally idealistic and
optimistic, which is concerned with transcendence, utopias and the supernatural, and which views
life and art as realms of endless possibility, and an opposing Realist mindset, which is generally
cynical and pessimistic, which is concerned with mortality and corruption, and which views art as
a way to reveal the cruelties and injustices of nature and of society. How do the 20th century
novels we’ve read by Salinger, Kesey and Palahniuk embody these essential American conflicts?
In addition to all the boldface terms and dates listed above and the following 30 literary
devices on the “70 Key Literary Terms” listed on our course’s webpage (know numbers 1
through 10; 13; 14; 24; 27; 28; 29; 32; 33; 34; and 59 through 69), you should also be sure that
you know the authors that we have read this year; the titles of the works we have read; the genre
of each work we have read; and the literary period (and in some cases, also the movement) to
which that work belongs. Here is a list of the authors and genres you should know: Smith
(history); Bradford (history); Bradstreet (poetry); Edwards (sermon); Jefferson (declaration);
Henry (speech); Franklin (autobiography); Emerson (essay); Hawthorne (excerpt from novel and
short story); Irving (short story); Salinger (novel); Kesey (novel); and Palahniuk (novel).