American Literary

Timeline

Colonial Period
Age of Reason
Romanticism
Transcendentalism
Anti-Transcendentalism

Realism
Naturalism
Regionalism
Modernism
Contemporary

Colonial Period
Early America-1776
This period was at the very beginnings of
America and it made way for the rest of the countries
literature. In the first stages of America there were writers,
such as Thomas Hariot, who wrote A Brief and True
Report of the New-Found Land of Virginia in 1588; in
which he described The Americas in words and picture.
The book was quickly translated into Latin, French, and
German; it was a window for the Old World to see an
embellished version of the New World.
Others that dominated this era were the Puritans
whose definition of good writing was writing that brought
home a full awareness of the importance of worshipping
God and of the spiritual dangers that the soul faced on
Earth, and the literature that was produced by the Puritans
reflected this.

Authors
of the
Colonial
Period
Edward Taylor
John Woolman
Anne Bradstreet
William Bradford

Age of Reason
Late 1770s to Early 1800s
This period was a time when authors were
focused more on their own reasoning rather than
simply taking what the church taught as fact.
During this period there was also cultivation of
patriotism. The main medium during that period
were political pamphlets, essays, travel writings,
speeches, and documents.
Also during this period many reforms were
either made or requested, for instance during this
time the Declaration of Independence was written.

Authors
of the
Age of
Reason
Abigail Adams
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Paine

Romanticism
1800-1850
After the Age of Reason came to an end,
the people of America were tired of reality; they
wanted to see life as more than it was. This was the
Era of Romantics. The main medium that presented
itself at that time were short stories, poems, and
novels. During this era, as appose to the Age of
Reason the imagination dominated; intuition ruled
over fact, and there was a large emphasis on the
individual/common man, and on nature or the natural
world.
Gothic literature was also introduced at this
time, which is a sub-genre of Romanticism, this genre
included stories about characters that had both good
and evil traits. Gothic literature also incorporated to
use of supernatural elements.

Authors of
the
Romanticism
Washington Irving
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Edgar Allen Poe
Herman Melville

Transcendentalism
1840-1855
This movement pushed America from the
elaborate and fantasy like writings displayed in the
period Romanticism, into a period of literature that
stressed individualism, and mature and self-reliance.
Often Transcendentalists used nature to gain
knowledge or to return to a life of self-reliance and
individulaism. It also stressed the fundamental idea
of a unity between God and the world, that each
person was a microcosm for the world.
Unlike many European groups, the
Transcendentalists never issued a manifesto. They
insisted on the differences in each individual.

Authors of the
Transcendentalism
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
Walt Whitman
[Sarah] Margaret Fuller

Anti-Transcendentalism
1840-1855
During the same time period when
Transcendentalism was taking place, its opposite,
Anti-Transcendentalism, was also happening. As
oppose to Transcendentalism, which focused on the
natural world and its relationship to humanity, and
the quest for understanding of the human spirit.
Anti- Transcendentalism focused on the limitations
of mankind, and its potential destructiveness of the
human spirit. For instance, water brings life, but
its excess, i.e. a flood, can bring death and
destruction. (Notice how they sometimes use
nature in their writings to reflect what goes in with
humans. Example: Scarlet Letter and the forest
reflect Pearls wild nature; only place Hester and
Dimmesdale can be free, etc.)

Authors of the
AntiTranscendentalism
Herman Melville
Nathaniel Hawthorne

Realism
1865-1915
This literary movement took place during
the Civil War; at a time when a war was taking place
people were tired of Transcendentalism and AntiTranscendentalism, for one thing they were both
extremes of the same spectrum, one was nice and
happy, and frilly; the other was dark and
destructive. People wanted to see things how they
were, so Realism came about.
Realism also came about as a reaction to
Romanticism, in which there were heroic characters,
and adventures, with strange and unfamiliar settings.
In response Realism authors tried to write truthfully
and objectively about ordinary characters in ordinary
situations.

Authors of the
Realism
Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]
Bret Harte
Sarah Orne Jewett
James Henry

Naturalism
1865-1915
The Naturalism literary movement that took
place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century,
tended to view people as hapless victims of immutable
natural laws. Naturalism is closely related to Realism
only it usually views the world in a darker perspective.
In Naturalism it is widely shown that free will is an
illusion that things that happen in the universe, happen
and could not happen any other way.
Also a defining characteristic of Naturalism is
that its characters lives are shaped by forces they cannot
control.

Authors of the
Naturalism
Stephen Crane
Jack London
Theodore Dreiser
Frank Norris

Regionalism
1865-1915
Authors of the
Regionalism
Willa Cather

Regionalism was a literary movement in

which authors would write a story about specific
geographical areas. By writing about regions the
authors explore the culture of that area; including
its languages, customs, beliefs, and history.
Writer in this time tried, not only, to
show the region they wrote about to their readers,
but they also made an attempt at a sophisticated
sociological or anthropological treatment of the
culture of the region.

William Faulkner
Kate Chopin
Frank Norris

Modernism
1915-1946
This type of writing is one of the most
experimental types. Modernist authors used of
fragments, stream of consciousness, and interior
dialogue. The main thing that authors were
trying to achieve with Modernism was a unique
style, one that they could stand out for, and be
known for.
During this period Technology was
taking incredible leaps and two World Wars took
place, there was destruction of a global scale.
The younger generation began to take over the
main stage.

Authors of the
Modernism
Ernest Hemingway
F. Scott Fitzgerald
John Steinbeck
Robert Frost

Contemporary
1946-present
In the years since the Modernism period,
American authors have begun to write from a
plethora of genres. Americans have realized that the
best way to go is have many authors writing what
ever it is they are best at. Thats exactly what has
happened, there are more different types of writing
being done at one time than at any other period in
history; Fantasy, fiction, science fiction, horror,
Political writings, romantics, plays, and poems,
anything and everything.

Authors of the
Contemporary
J. D. Salinger
Stephen King
Joyce Carol Oates
Robert Jordan

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Franklin is well known
worldwide for his
discoveries in the world of
science and also for works
that he contributed to, such
as the Declaration of
Independence, and his
theories on electricity. His
works were all new ideas
things people never thought
of before because they
always took what they got as
fact.

Age of Reason

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

Jefferson is bets know for
writing the Declaration of
Independence, the
document came about as a
response to these times,
people were thinking for
themselves, and one of the
major thing the Americans
discovered was that they
didnt need England. So
Jefferson wrote the D of I
to formally state that.
Age of Reason

Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

Paine wrote mostly
pamphlets that would spur
ideas and immediate
action. In the document
"The American Crisis,"
Paine wrote about the
oppression that America
suffered from Britain, and
propelled America into a
war with Britain. Paine,
to this day, is well known
for his propaganda.
Age of Reason

Washington Irving (1789-1851)

Irving was the first
famous American
author; hes also known as
the Father of American
Literature. He wrote
travel books, short stories,
and satires. Some of his
works include; Legend of
Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van
Winkle, and Devil and
Tom Walker.

Romanticism

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

Poe had a bad childhood that
made him despise the world,
and his works reflected his
work. He is credited for
creating the modern short
story, and the detective story.
He also challenged two longstanding theories, one, a poem
had to be long, and two, a
poem had to teach you
something. Some of his works
include, "The Raven", "Bells",
"Annabel Lee", and "Dream."

Romanticism

Herman Melville (1819-1891)

In his time Melville
was not entirely
recognized, however,
in the more recent
years he has been
considered one of the
most top rated novelist
of all time. He is most
well known for his
epic novel Moby Dick.
Romanticism

Anti-Transcendentalism

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(1803-1882)
Emerson had a strong
sense of a religious
mission though he was
accused of subverting
Christianity. He left the
church saying, to be a
good minister, it was
necessary to leave the
church. Some of his
mayor works include
Nature, published in 1836.

Transcendentalism

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Whiteman was born on Long
Island, and was, for most of his
job life, a carpenter; he was a
man of the people. Most of his
learning career was done on his
own, after he left school the age
of eleven. His major work was
entitled His Leaves of Grass,
published in 1855; over the years
he made many rewrites for this
book. Some of his famous poems
are, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,"
"Out of the Cradle Endlessly
Rocking," and "When Lilacs Last
in the Dooryard Bloom'd."

Transcendentalism

Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804-1864)
Hawthorne was a Puritan
who utilized his writings
to express his dark, and
gloomy outlook on life.
Some of his works
include; Twice Told Tales,
published in 1837; The
Scarlet Letter, published in
1850; and The House of
the Seven Gables,
published in 1851.

Anti-Transcendentalism

Romanticism

Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]

(1835-1910)
Twain is know by many as
the greatest American
humorist and one of our
greatest novelists. He was
known for using vernacular,
exaggeration, and deadpan
narrator to create humor.
Twain wrote many great
novels including, the
Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
published in 1876; and The
Prince and the Pauper,
published in 1881.

Realism

James Henry (1843-1916 )

His father was an important
theorist and lecturer, and his
older brother was a famous
American philosopher, William
James. He attended Harvard
College. His early stories
depict the leisurely life of the
well-to-do. In his time he
wrote many short stories
including; The Short Story of
a Year, published in 1865;
Gabrielle de Bergerac,
published in 1869; and
Guest's Confession.

Realism

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

Cranes writing was known for
attacking patriotism,
individualism, and organized
religion; it also confronted the
meaninglessness of the world.
His work was also very well
known for its imagery and
symbolism. The work he is most
famous for Red Badge of
Courage, which was set in the
Civil War. Some of his other
works include; The Open Boat,
published in 1894; An Episode
of War, originally published in
1890.

Naturalism

Jack London (1876-1916)

London was born in San
Francisco, California; he lived a
hard life, switching from job to
job for whatever money he could
get, after his father abandoned
him at a young age. He is one of
the most highly acclaimed writers
of all time; his stories of life and
death struggles are vivid and
engaging. Some of his works
include; The Call of the Wild,
published in 1903; White Fang,
published in 1906; Lost Face,
published in 1910; and The
Night Born, published in 1913.

Naturalism

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

Hemingway won a Pulitzer

Prize and Noble Peace Price for
Literature. He used concise,
direct, spare, objective, precise,
rhythmic writing styles to
create larger than life heroes,
big game hunters, etc. Some of
his works include; The Sun
Also Rises, published in 1922;
A Farewell To Arms published
in 1929; For Whom the Bell
Tolls, published in 1940.

Modernism

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

Fitzgerald wrote about the
times. In his novel The Great
Gatsby, published in 1925,
he wrote about the roaring
twenties, a time when no one
cared about the future and
they had fun with what they
had then. Some of his other
works include; The Side of
Paradise, published in 1920;
and The Beautiful and the
Damned, published in 1922.

Modernism

John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

Steinbeck wrote about the both
the pains and joys of life. The
Grapes of Wraith, published in
1939, his most well known work
told the story of families ring to
survive and stay together during
the depression. In other works
like Tortilla Flat, published in
1935, Steinbeck wrote about the
joys of life. Some of his other
works include; East of Eden,
published in 1952; Of Mice and
Men, published in 1937; and
The Pearl, published in 1947.

Modernism