Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Ernest Hemmingway, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou; this is just a tiny handful of the great names in American literature. For a relatively young nation, the breadth and diversity of literature written in the United States are remarkable. It is home to some of the most important authors in the world and has spawned literary movements that have since spread around the globe. American literature also served to tell the story of the developing nation, creating a perpetual link between American identity and the country's literature.
What is American Literature?
American literature generally refers to literature from the United States that is written in English. This article will adhere to the aforementioned definition of American literature and briefly outline the history and trajectory of literature in the United States. However, it is important to note that some object to the term “American literature” to refer to English-language literature in the United States because the term erases literature from elsewhere in the Americas that is written in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or other languages.
Lots of American literature was written on the old American typewriter.
History of American Literature
The history of American literature is intertwined with the history of the United States itself, and many of the following facts illustrate that relationship.
Puritan and Colonial Literature (1472-1775)
American literature began as the first English-speaking colonists settled along the eastern seaboard of the United States. The purpose of these early texts was usually to explain the process of colonization and describe the United States to future immigrants back home in Europe.
British explorer John Smith (1580-1631 — yes, the same one from Pocahontas!) is sometimes credited as the first American author for his publications that include A True Relation of Virginia (1608) and The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (1624). Like much literature from the colonial period, the format of these texts was non-fiction and utilitarian, focusing on the promotion of European colonization in America.
Revolutionary and Early National Literature (1775-1830)
During the American Revolution and the years of nation-building that followed, fiction writing was still uncommon in American literature. The fiction and poetry that was published remained heavily influenced by literary conventions established in Great Britain. In place of novels geared towards entertainment, writing was commonly used to further political agendas, namely the cause of independence.
Political essays emerged as one of the most important literary forms, and historical figures like Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Samuel Adams (1722-1803), and Thomas Paine (1737-1809) produced some of the most notable texts of the era. Propaganda pamphlets to influence the colonists’ cause also became an essential literary outlet. Poetry was likewise employed in the cause of the revolution. Lyrics of popular songs, such as Yankee Doodle, were often used to convey revolutionary ideas.
It can be difficult to generalize the features of American literature due to the breadth, variety, and diversity of American authors. However, many of the literature’s identifiable features can be linked and attributed to typical ideas of the American experience and American identity.
- Early on, American literature was characterized by its self-conscious effort to break away from literary forms established in Great Britain and other European countries.
- American authors, such as John Neal (1793-1876), were inspired to create their own literary style emphasizing the realities of American life, including the use of colloquial language and unmistakably American settings.
- A sense of individualism and celebration of the individual experience is one of the central features of American literature.
- American literature can also be characterized by its many forms of regional literature. These include Native American literature, African American literature, Chicano literature, and the literature of various diasporas.
John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath told the story of dust bow era migrants in the 1930s.
Importance of American Literature
American literature has played a significant role in shaping the culture and identity of the United States as well as influencing the development of literature around the world. The novels, poetry, and short stories of writers such as Edger Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, and Mark Twain have made an enormous contribution to the existence of literature as we know it today.
Did you know that Edger Allen Poe is credited with the creation of the modern-day horror genre and detective story?
American literature was also important in developing American identity by telling the story of the nation. The literature helped the new country establish itself as independent from past literary traditions hailing from Great Britain and the rest of Europe. Literature also helped to develop the nation by articulating ideas central to national identity.
Examples of American Literature
The following are some examples of important writers in American literature:
American Literature: Novelists
- Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
- Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1906)
- William Faulkner (1897-1962)
- Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
- John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
- James Baldwin (1924-1987)
- Harper Lee (1926-2016)
- Toni Morrison (1931-2019)
American Literature: Essayists
- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
- Malcolm X (1925-1965)
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
American Literature: Poets
- Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
- Emily Dickenson (1830-1886)
- T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)
- Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
American Literature: Dramatists
- Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953)
- Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)
- Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
- Edward Albee (1928-2016).
Some of these writers, such as James Baldwin, could be placed in any of these categories as they wrote novels, essays, poems, and plays!
American Literature: Books
The following are some examples of important books in American literature:
- Moby Dick(1851) by Herman Melville
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain
- The Great Gatsby(1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Sun Also Rises(1926) by Ernest Hemingway
- The Grapes of Wrath(1939) by John Steinbeck
- Native Son(1940) by Richard Wright
- Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut
- Beloved(1987) by Toni Morrison
American Literature - Key takeaways
- Early American literature was often non-fiction, focusing instead on history, and describing the process of colonization.
- During the American Revolution and Post-Revolutionary Period, the political essay was the dominant literary format.
- The 19th century saw the formation of styles specific to American literature. The novel rose in prominence, and many important poets also became famous.
- In the middle of the 19th century, the dominant literary style shifted from Romanticism to Realism.
- Many texts from early 20th century American literature explore social commentary, critique, and disillusionment themes.
- By the end of the 20th century, American literature had developed into the highly diversified and varied body of work that we see today.
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