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Period: 1490 to
Native American Lit
This movement is based mostly on oral tradition. Nature and elements of nature are the most common aspect of Native American writings. -
Period: 1500 to
Early Settlers
This group of writings are from those who were coming to America to settle a new land. Most of the literature is comprised of letters, diaries, journals and histories. -
Period: to
Puritanism
Written by those who were leaving Europe to find religious freedom. Literature from this period is typically in the form of sermons, poetry, diaries and moral based stories. -
Period: to
American Enlightenment
Also known as Rationalism/Classicism and The Age of Reason. Best known for political and philosophical writings focusing on reason and common sense. -
Period: to
Romanticism
Authors focused on individualism, idealism, imagination and nature. This is the first movement to really produce a body of work that embodied the idea of America while rebelling against the Classicism movement. -
Period: to
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalists believe that the basic truths of the universe transcend the physical world and lie beyond the knowledge that can be obtained from the senses. -
Fireside Poets (MID 19TH CENTURY)
The poets preferred classical form but relied on American legends and life for their subject matter. -
Period: to
Realism and Regionalism
Reaction against Romanticism and Neoclassicism. Factual is more important than the intellectual or the emotional. Treats nature objectively, but views it as orderly. -
Period: to
Naturalism
Naturalism is connected to realism but it focuses on social issues brought about by industrialization. Shows the dark and ugly side of life. -
Period: to
Modernism
Shifts in means of expression, writing style, greater use of symbols. Writings often reflect ideas of alienation, isolation, individual perception and human consciousness. -
Period: to
Harlem Renaissance
A period of outstanding creativity among African American writers. -
Post-modernism
Defined as having a relativistic view on reality. Interpretation is everything – our lives are defined only by our own interpretation of concrete experiences. -
Beat Movement
Its alienation from the conventional and its adaptation of the seedy and “hip”, embracing jazz music, drugs, sex, and Buddhism”. -
Contemporary
Concerned with relationships and connections between people. Emotion provoking story-telling is common. -
Pluralism
Realization that literature does not only need to come from dead white guys. The idea of diversity and acceptance drives this movement. -
Magical Realism
A juxtaposition of the ordinary with magical elements. Fantastic elements are interwoven into realistic fiction.