* Romantic Period – 1798-1837
Literary Analysis Authors
* Victorian Period - 1837-1901
* Modern Period - 1901-
American Poets
Walt Whitman - An American poet who wrote during the end of the 19th century, Whitman typically focused on
individualism and his admiration for American heroes.
Gwendolyn Brooks – A contemporary African-American woman poet, Brooks wrote poetry about the plight of AfricanAmericans and the difficulties she faced in her own life.
ee cummings – An American poet who wrote during the early 20th century, cummings’ ability to use language in a “creative
way” illustrates his uniqueness and his interest in defying convention. His topics range from love to satire to nature, but
regardless of the topic, cummings’ poetry always reveals him to be an individualist and non-conformist who wished to
appeal to the reader’s senses.
Sylvia Plath - An early 20th century American woman poet, Plath wrote about her negative view of the world, including the
“issues” that she had with her father and husband.
Ralph Waldo Emerson - An American Romantic and a contemporary of Thoreau, Emerson was a transcendentalist and
existentialist whose poems and essays reveals his belief in non-conformity and an appreciation for both the individual and
nature as divine.
Emily Dickinson - An American Romantic woman poet who was obsessed with death, Dickinson's depression and reclusive
lifestyle are apparent throughout her writing.
T.S. Eliot - A 20th century American poet who wrote during the early part of the century, Eliot's poetry is difficult and very
philosophical. His evolution from a cynic with a negative view of mankind to the spiritually enlightened individual he
became in his later years is apparent in his poetry.
Langston Hughes - An African-American poet who wrote during the early 20th Century, his poems reveal the struggles of
African-Americans, as well as pride in his race.
Henry David Thoreau - An American Romantic and a contemporary of Emerson, Thoreau was a transcendentalist whose
poems and essays reveal his belief in non-conformity and an appreciation for both the individual and nature as divine.
Maya Angelou - A contemporary African-American woman who has written poems and novels, Angelou's works reveal the
struggles of being an African-American woman, the personal trials that she has encountered, and her pride in herself and
her culture.
Robert Frost – Four-time winner of the renowned Pulitzer Prize, this well-known poet of the modernist period employed
the simple language and imagery of rural New England to craft poems that probe the deepest and darkest mysteries of the
human condition. His lyrical, traditional, and narrative style of verse was often at odds with other poets of his time, but has
come to be regarded and esteemed by generations of poetry lovers.
Carl Sandburg – A poet of the modernist period who grew up in the Midwest, Sandburg disdained the literary elite and
longed to be “a poet of the people.” His diverse poetry, ranging from long free verse jaunts to short experiments with
imagism, always expressed a concern for the common man and social justice in a period of history torn apart by war,
prejudice, and economic depression.
William Carlos Williams – A practicing New Jersey pediatrician, this poet is noted for his revolutionary verse that attempts
to free poetry from established poetic forms. His free verse form, unencumbered by traditional poetic rules and constructs,
uses powerful imagery coupled with simple language to create poetry that explores profound philosophical ideas. He was a
major influence on modern poetry in the twentieth century and is still influential to this day.
D.H. Lawrence – A 20th century writer of poetry and novels, Lawrence’s writing centers on his unstable mental and emotional state
(see Poe).
Nikki Giovanni – A 20th century poet whose writing focuses on her struggles as a woman and an African-American. Unlike her
contemporaries, some of her poetry addresses the subject of romance, her “love poems” being some of her most famous.
British Poets
William Wordsworth - Possibly the most prolific of the British Romantic poets of the 19th century, his poetry contains the
traits most associated with Romanticism (an appreciation for nature, rural life, individuality, creativity and a negative view
of cities and conformity).
William Blake – An individualist and a Romantic, Blake’s poetry embodies the Romantic movement in many ways;
however, his works are paradoxical in that they differed from the other major Romantics by also focusing on man, religion,
philosophy, and his own personal myth-making.
John Keats - A British Romantic poet who possesses many of the traits most associated with Romanticism, Keats also
frequently wrote about his own mortality, particularly as his premature death due to tuberculosis became more inevitable.
His mastery of the English language is considered greatest of all the British Romantic poets.
William Butler Yeats – An Irish-born dramatist and poet who wrote during the late 19 th and early 20th century, Yeats’
writing’s evolution parallels his own in many ways. More diverse than most poets, Yeats’ poetry contains characteristics of
both the Romantic and Victorian movements; however, his later poems reveal Yeats’ own philosophical beliefs.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - A British Romantic poet and a contemporary of Wordsworth, Coleridge possessed many of the
traits associated with Romantics; however, his poems typically convey an appreciation of the supernatural and the fantastic.
Dylan Thomas – Born in Wales in 1914, this poet was fascinated by language; his poetry is filled with intense lyricism,
highly charged emotion, and a fascination with the natural world (more commonly associated with the Romantic tradition).
The archetypal Romantic poet of the popular American imagination, he was flamboyantly theatrical, a heavy drinker, and
engaged in disputes in public.
Percy Byshe Shelley – An early 19th century English Romantic poet who rebelled against English politics and conservative
values, Shelley drew no essential distinction between poetry and politics, and his work reflects the radical ideas and
revolutionary optimism of the era.
Christina Rossetti – A British Victorian poet, Rossetti’s writing focuses on her deeply religious views.
Lord Byron – A British Romantic poet of the 19th century, his poetry contains the traits most associated with Romanticism (an
appreciation for nature, rural life, individuality, creativity and a negative view of cities and conformity), as well as the Byronic hero.
Alfred Lord Tennyson – One of the most well-known and prolific poets of late 19th-Century Britain, his poetry reflects the ideals and
values of the Victorian Age.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning –A 19th century woman poet, particularly sonnets, Browning’s writing focuses on Victorian issues and
ideals.
Short Story Writers
Kurt Vonnegut - A contemporary American writer whose claim to fame is novels (though he has also written many short
stories), his view of the world is a cynical one, which focuses on the flaws of mankind.
Ernest Hemingway - A 20th century American novelist and short-story writer, Hemingway's stories often explore the
adventures that he encountered (or wanted to encounter); his main characters are often consistent with Hemingway in many
ways.
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) - A humorous American writer of novels, short stories, essays, Twain's cynical
and sarcastic views of everything from government to politics to religion to the flaws of mankind are prevalent throughout
much of his work. His upbringing in a rural community along the Mississippi River is apparent throughout many of his
stories.
Jack London – An American novelist and short-story writer who wrote during the late 19th and early 20th century, London
was an adventurer by nature (This adventurous spirit is revealed in many of his works.). London believed in Social
Darwinism (survival of the fittest) and subscribed to the beliefs of many prominent philosophers, including Socialists and
other “radical” thinkers of his time.
Flannery O’Connor – an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist, O’Connor was a Southern writer who often
wrote in a Southern Gothic style and relied heavily on regional settings and grotesque characters. O'Connor's writing also
reflected her own Roman Catholic faith, and frequently examined questions of morality and ethics.
Ray Bradbury - A contemporary American who is considered to be a science fiction writer by some, Bradbury's views on
technology and the flaws of man are apparent in his short stories.
Lewis Carroll (Charles Ludwig Dodgson) - Most known for Alice in Wonderland, Carroll was fascinated with the
innocence of youth and, therefore, wrote with the intention of entertaining children and conveying the shortcomings of
adults.
Steven Crane – An American novelist and short-story writer, Crane’s works examined situations faced by ordinary people
and their reactions to these challenges. A naturalist who wrote at the end of the 19 th century, Crane wrote about a natural
world that was indifferent to the struggles of man.
Washington Irving - An American Romantic short-story writer, Irving's stories incorporated the legends and the overall
rural culture of Knickerbocker country (upstate New York).
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Henry James - Late 19th/early 20 century American novelist and short-story writer who helped transform the novel from
romantic storytelling into stinging psychological studies of the individual and his/her place in society, James’ works were
heavily influenced by the new psychoanalytic theories of the time being developed and explored by notables in the field
such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.
William Faulkner – American novelist, short-story writer, and screenwriter, this author is noted for his stream of
consciousness style. His stories, which earned him the 1949 Nobel Prize, are centered mostly in a fictive county in his
home state of Mississippi (Yoknapatawpha). His writing, often psychological dramas exploring the mysteries of the human
condition, draws heavily from Classical Mythology, Shakespeare, and the Bible. One of the most prolific writers of the
twentieth century.
Oscar Wilde - Late 19th century novelist and playwright, this child prodigy is also famous for the controversies surrounding
his personal life. A homosexual during an era of rampant sexual suppression, his dark tales are deep, probing testimonies
that attempt to reveal the duplicity of the human condition. The themes in his work often address profound psychological
and philosophical ideas that probe the meaning of life, and question the validity of existence.
Herman Melville – A 19th century novelist and short-story writer who is noted mostly for his seafaring tale Moby Dick.
Melville’s literature was profoundly influenced by the “Naturalist” movement in literature at the time and is dominated by
themes, such as man versus nature, innocence versus experience, the essence of existence, and the battle between good and
evil.
Nathaniel Hawthorne – He is considered one of the first great American writers. A novelist and short-story writer and a
central figure in the American Renaissance, Hawthorne wrote during the Gothic Period that included such authors as Edgar
Allan Poe. His stories often take a dark view of human nature and also explore social commentaries, as well as more
metaphysical themes.
Louisa May Alcott – Born in Germantown, this novelist and short-story writer was primarily concerned with women’s
issues at a time when women were denied opportunities. Considered a “tomboy,” Alcott’s stories often center on the
characters’ pursuit of individuality.
Sherwood Anderson – An early 20th century short-story writer who focuses on small-town life and drew characters from his own
upbringing.
Eudora Welty – An early 20th Century short-story writer, Welty’s writing focused on her roots in the Deep South, including the
setting and views of this region.
Shirley Jackson – A contemporary writer of short stories, Jackson’s characters reflect her childhood, particularly the town of her
upbringing and her unhappy childhood. Many of her stories also deal with the nature of human evil.
O. Henry – A prolific American short-story writer from the late 19th Century, O. Henry was a master of surprise endings, who wrote
about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical
of O. Henry's stories.
Kate Chopin – A British writer of short stories and novels during early 20 th Century, Chopin’s writing focuses on women’s issues,
especially the restrictions on women’s freedoms. She also wrote of characters who were considered “socially unacceptable” because
of violating societal norms.
Willa Cather – An early 20th Century short-story writer, Cather was a Midwest regionalist, whose stories reflect the values and
characters of her upbringing.
Alice Walker – A 20th Century short-story writer, Walker’s works reveal the struggles of being an African-American and a woman.
Writers of Both Poetry and Short Stories
Sandra Cisneros – A contemporary writer who was born in Chicago, Cisneros was one of seven children and grew up in
poverty. Her writing, which includes poetry, short stories, and novels, often reflects her Mexican culture and her personal
evolution.
James Joyce – Although most of his adult life was spent outside the country, Joyce's Irish experiences are essential to his
writings and provide all of the settings for his fiction and much of their subject matter. His fictional universe is firmly
rooted in Dublin and reflects his family life and the events and friends (and enemies) from his school and college days.
Rudyard Kipling – A 19th Century poet and short-story writer, his writing reflects his views British colonialism and British
superiority.
Edgar Allen Poe - An American poet and short-story writer who lived during the first half of the 19th century, Poe's
personal tragedies are apparent throughout most of his poems and stories.
John Updike – A contemporary American writer who writes short stories, poetry, and novels, Updike examines situations
faced the common man. His writing is often direct but forces readers to explore deeper topics, such as fate, death, and
man’s place in the world.