U.S. Literary Periods Flashcards
From the founding of Jamestown in 1607 until The Stamp Act in 1765. The writing of the period was utilitarian, polemical, or religious. Major figures of the period were Edward Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, and Benjamin Franklin.
Colonial Period (1607-1765)
From The Stamp Act in 1765 until the ascendency of Andrew Jackson’s presidency and ideals. A time of literary beginnings. Two distinct ages in the period: Revolution Age and Federalist Age. Major figures of the period were James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, and Charles Brockden Brown.
Revolutionary and Early National Period (1765-1830)
From the ascendency of Andrew Jackson’s presidency and ideals until the close of the Civil War era. A time of expansion and America’s first great creative period in literature. Major figures included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.
Romantic Period (1830-1865)
From the time following the Civil War until the start of the 20th century. Industrialism and Capitalism emerged strongly. Science started playing a major role. Major figures were Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Edwin Arlington Robinson, and Henry James.
Realistic Period (1865-1900)
Period is strongly influenced by World War I. The beginning of the period is marked by Naturalism and the latter part of the period is marked by Symbolistic writings due to the war. The latter part of the period is generally considered the virtual birth of American poetry. The war also caused a dislocation of American writers who became disillusioned with American ideals, this became known as the “Lost Generation”. Major figures were Robert Frost, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Willa Cather, Eugene O’Neil, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, and E.E. Cummings.
Naturalistic and Symbolistic Period (1900-1930)
Also known as “Period of Modernism and Consolidation”. The stock market crash in 1929’ the Great Depression, World War II, and communism scares influenced the period. Major figures of the period were William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, J.D. Salinger, Neil Simon, and Ring Lardner.
Period of Conformity and Criticism (1930-1960)
Influenced by the social revolts of the 60’s, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate Scandal. The works and poetry took on a more confessional quality, Major figures of the period are Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, John Updike, Toni Morrison, Edward Albee.
Period of Confessional Self (1960-1989)
Writers appeared more concerned with private, asocial exploration. Major figures include Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy, Larry MacMurtey, and E. Annie Proulx.
Postmodern Period (1990-Present)
