American Literature Timeline “Parts” Activity
Puritan/Colonialism: 1630-1750
Historical Context
Puritans/pilgrims separated from the Anglican Church of England; religion dominated
their lives and writings. Believed in hard work and simple, no-frills living.
Description of Period
Literature included sermons, diaries, personal narratives, slave narratives. The style was
plain and instructive.
Writers
1. Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) – first published American poet
2. Edward Taylor (1645-1729) – a minister considered the finest Puritan poet
3. Jonathan Edwards – a minister with a view of God as punisher
4. John Smith (1580-1631) – The General History of Virginia
Revolutionary Period: 1750-1800
Historical Context
The American Revolution and the growth of patriotism. The start of the development of
American character/democracy. Colonists focused on the use of reason (as opposed to
faith alone).
Description of Period
Literature included political pamphlets, essays, travel writing, speeches. The writing
was instructive in values and the style was very ornate.
Writers
1. Abigail Adams (wife of John Adams) – campaigned for women’s rights
2. Ben Franklin – symbol of success gained by hard work and common sense
3. Thomas Jefferson – considered the finest writer of the era (The Declaration of
Independence)
4. Thomas Paine – Wrote pamphlets and used propaganda
Romanticism: 1800-1860
Historical Context
The expansion of book publishing, magazines, newspapers; the Industrial Revolution;
the Abolitionist movement
Description of Period
Literature included short stories, novel, and poetry. Imagination prevailed over reason.
Focused on the “fantastic” of human experience. A focus on inner feelings. Gothic
literature is a sub-genre of Romanticism.
Writers
1. Washington Irving: 1789-1851 – the “father of American Lit”
2. Nathaniel Hawthorne: 1804-1864 – wrote about sin and guilt
3. Edgar Allen Poe: 1809-1849 – horror and mystery stories
4. Herman Melville: 1819-1891 – wrote Moby Dick, which didn’t sell well at the time
The Transcendentalists (1840-1855)
Historical Context
The transcendentalists existed in the same time period as the Romantic Period.
Description of Period
These writers stressed individualism, intuition, nature, and self-reliance
Writers
1. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) – his writings helped establish the philosophy of
individualism, an idea deeply embedded in American culture
2. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) – he resisted materialism; chose simplicity and
individualism
Realism: 1850/60 – 1900
Historical Context
The Civil War brings demand for a “truer” type of literature that doesn’t idealize people
or places; People in society are defined by “class”; materialism; Reflects ideas of
Darwin (survival of the fittest) and Marx (how money and class structure control a
nation).
Description of Period
This period of literature was a reaction against Romanticism, “telling is like it is.”
Focused on the lives of ordinary people; rejected the heroic and adventurous. Antimaterialism.
Writers
1. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) – her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped fuel the
Civil War
2. Frederick Douglas (1817-1895) – an escaped slave who was one of the most
effective orators and writers of his day
3. Mark Twain (1835-1910) – one of the greatest humorists and novelists whose real
name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn)
4. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) – attacked patriotism, individualism, organized religion
– most famous work Red Badge of Courage
Modernism: 1900-1950
Historical Context
Overwhelming technological changes. World War I (first war of mass destruction);
Grief over loss of past with a fear of eroding traditions. Rise of the youth culture.
Description of Period
Literature included works in which the dominant mood was alienation and
disconnection. The writing style was highly experimental (use of fragments, stream of
consciousness, interior dialogue). Writers sought to create a unique style.
Writers
1. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) – a concise and direct writing style
2. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) – wrote The Great Gatsby, an ironic and tragic
treatment of the American success myth
3. William Faulkner (1897-1962) – the most original writer of his time who explored
his Southern heritage
4. John Steinbeck – The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men – belief in the need for
social justice; hope that people can learn from the suffering of others.
Harlem Renaissance: 1915-1929
Historical Context
The Harlem Renaissance happened during the “Modernism” period. After slavery, many
African Americans migrated to the north to seek a better life.
Description of Period
This was a black cultural movement that emerged in Harlem, New York City during the
1920s during which time literature, art, and music flourished.
Writers
1. Langston Hughes – wrote poems, plays, novels, songs, and movie scripts
2. Countee Cullen – the “black Keats”
3. Zora Neale Hurston – rediscovered by the women’s movement in the 1970s
4. Claude McKay – poetry evokes the heritage of his native Jamaica
Contemporary: 1950-Present
Historical Context
A media-saturated culture where people often observe life as media presents it rather
than experiencing life directly. Post WWII prosperity. People beginning a new century
and a new millennium. Social protest. Extraordinary technological advances and a
global economy.
Description of Period
Literature that reflects an emergence of ethnic and women writers. The lines of reality
are often blurred (large range of writing styles and genres). Concern with individual in
isolation.
Writers
1. “Beat Poets” including the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg
2. J.D. Salinger – Catcher in the Rye the symbol for a generation of disaffected youth
3. Flannery O-Conner – Southern gothic
4. Maya Angelou – a strong African American woman
5. Amy Tan – Asian American novelist
6. Stephen King – thrilling psychological horror and one of the best-selling novelists of
all time