American Literary Periods

Question 1

Puritan Age/ Colonial Period

Answer 1

1620-1750
Focus: religion/faith
Writings: private; sermons, journals, religious texts
Began: Puritan Society/ Settlement
Ended: Revolutionary War

Question 2

Age of Reason/ Revolutionary Period

Answer 2

1750-1800
Focus: science, logic, reasoning
Writings: public; (political) pamphlets, speeches, persuasive
Began: Revolutionary War
Ended: Unity; New Identity

Question 3

Romanticism/ Romantic Period

Transcendentalism

Answer 3

1800-1860
Focus: imagination, emotions
Writings: creative writings 
Began: Unity; New Identity 
Ended: Civil War

Transcendentalism (1830-1880)
intuition/gut feelings/emotions in order to understand complex things

Question 4

Realism/ Realistic Period

Answer 4

1860-1900
Focus: portray everyday life, real experiences 
Writings: All Types 
Began: Civil War
Ended: World War I

Question 5

Modernism/ Modern Age

Answer 5

1900-1950
Focus: portray everyday life, real experiences, but also in form
Feeling: uncertain, disjointed, disillusioned
Writings: All Types
Techniques: Stream of Conscience, Fragmentation, Symbolism, Implied Themes, Free Verse Poetry
Began: World War I
Ended: World War II

Question 6

Contemporary/Post-Modernism

Answer 6

1950-Present
Focus: portray everyday life, real experiences
Life: 1) rapid change and growth 2) isolation vs. connection
Writings: All Types
Techniques: 1) Blending Genres: a. fiction/nonfiction b. fantasy/realism 2) metafiction
Began: World War I