American Literature encompasses the body of written works produced in English in the United States. Shaped by the nation's history and evolving through various periods—Colonial and Early National, Romantic, Realism and Naturalism, Modernist, and Contemporary American literature reflects the diver...
Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those
imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and
the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution.
Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language,
national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter.
.
Literature is mostly categorized by country, language, or cultural group. Sometimes these
literatures will be called national literatures because they help define a national identity
or provide a common reference point for that country's culture.
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and
poems that are made for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two
different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
American literature, the body of written works produced in the English language in
the United States.
Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the
country that produced it.
For almost a century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies scattered along
the eastern seaboard of the North American continent—colonies from which a few hardy
souls tentatively ventured westward. After a successful rebellion against the motherland,
America became the United States, a nation. By the end of the 19th century this nation
extended southward to the Gulf of Mexico, northward to the 49th parallel, and westward
to the Pacific.
By the end of the 19th century, too, it had taken its place among the powers of the world
—its fortunes so interrelated with those of other nations that inevitably it became
involved in two world wars and, following these conflicts, with the problems of Europe
and East Asia. Meanwhile, the rise of science and industry, as well as changes in ways of
thinking and feeling, wrought many modifications in people’s lives. All these factors in
the development of the United States molded the literature of the country.
, Literature has existed in the Americas for as long as the people who lived there
have been telling stories. Native American cultures have a rich history of oral
literature. Mayan books from as far back as the 5th century are known, and it is
believed that the Maya started writing things down centuries before that. As a
specific discipline viewed through the lens of European literature, American
literature began in the early 17th century with the arrival of English-speaking
Europeans in what would become the United States.
o American literature is often divided into five major periods:
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)
Notable authors of American literature include: John Smith, who wrote some of
its earliest works; Phillis Wheatley, who wrote the first African American
book; Edgar Allan Poe, a standout of the Romantic era; Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, a celebrated poet; Emily Dickinson, a woman who wrote poetry at a
time when the field was largely dominated by men; Mark Twain, a master of
humor and realism; Ernest Hemingway, a novelist who articulated the
disillusionment of the Lost Generation; and Toni Morrison, a writer who
centered her works on the black experience and received a Nobel Prize in 1993.
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