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Contemporary Literature

1950 – Present
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American Literature Overview

 Puritans (1650-1750)

 Age of Reason (1750-1800)

 Romanticism (1800-1860)
 Transcendentalism (1840-1860)

 Realism (1855-1900)

 Modernism (1900-1950)
 Harlem Renaissance (1920s)

 Post Modernism (1950s-present)

 Contemporary (1970s-present)
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Review: Puritans

 Genre/Style
 Sermons (remember “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”)
 Religious poems (Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor)
 Plain writing style

 Effects/Aspects
 Instructive, reinforced the authority of the Bible/church
 Very little imaginative literature

 Historical Context
 Puritan settlers fled England (where they were persecuted for their
religious beliefs) and came to New England for religious freedom
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Review: Age of Reason

 Genre/Style:
 Political Pamphlets (Thomas Paine)
 Ornate Persuasive Writing (Thomas Jefferson)

 Effects/Aspects:
 Growth of patriotism
 Unity about issues
 American character developed

 Historical Context
 Much of the literature written at this time encouraged Revolutionary War
support.
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Review: Romanticism

 Genre/Style:
 Novel/Short Story (The Scarlet Letter)
 Poetry (Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson)

 Effects/Aspects:
 Nature represented freedom
 Imagination was very important

 Historical Context:
 Publishing expanded
 The industrial revolution brought new ideas
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Review: Transcendentalism

 Genre/Style:
 Poetry
 Short Stories
 Novels
 Essays (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

 Effects/Aspects:
 Idealism and individualism were prized
 Extensive use of symbolism

 Historical Context:
 Reaction to industrial revolution
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Review: Realism

 Genre/Style:
 Novels (Mark Twain)
 Short Stories
 Writers often used an objective narrator who did not tell the reader how to
interpret the story (think of Huck).

 Effects/Aspects:
 Social and aesthetic realism

 Historical Context:
 Post Civil War culture demanded more realistic literature
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Review: Modernism

 Genre/Style:
 Novels (The Great Gatsby)
 Plays
 Poetry
 Interior monologue (Nick Carraway)
 Stream of Consciousness (Hemingway)

 Effects/Aspects:
 Pursuit of American Dream (Gatsby)
 Admiration for America
 Importance of Individual

 Historical Context:
 Influenced by WWI, WWII
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Review: Harlem Renaissance

 Genre/Style:
 Blues style poetry

 Effects/Aspects:
 Brought about Gospel music

 Historical Context:
 The Great Migration – African Americans moved to northern urban centers
 African Americans were given greater access to media and publishing
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Review: Post Modernism

 Genre/Style:
 Blurred lines of reality for reader
 Nontraditional heroes

 Effects/Aspects:
 Ground down the distinctions between classes

 Historical Context:
 After WWII
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So…what is contemporary literature?
(1970s – present)
 Genre/Style:
 Narrative fiction/nonfiction
 Autobiographical essays
 Storytelling
 Essays
 Antiheroes

 Themes:
 Misery, depression, and disillusionment
 Interconnectedness of people
 Media culture interprets values
 Societal customs and beliefs
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Contemporary Literature Contd.

 Effects/Aspects:
 Shift in emphasis from homogeneity to celebrating diversity
 Questions our ability to accurately see and understand ourselves and our
culture
 Emphasizes the crossing of old boundaries (men/women, east/west,
high/low culture)
 Represents migration and immigration as a fundamental human experience
 Asserts that the nature of our identities is not true or natural, but seem to
be because of consistency and persistence
 Shows struggle to find meaning in a world of new and evolving science
and religion
 Creates a link between language and reality in which everything is a biased
representation
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How Did it Come About?

 Theaftermath of WW II ushered in an age of rapid

developments in science and technology.
 The postwar years offered many Americans increased
opportunities for economic and cultural growth, but
the individual person often felt lost in the fast-paced,
computerized world.
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Contemporary fiction

 Contemporary fiction allows for multiple meanings

and multiple worlds, uses nontraditional forms, and
comments upon itself.
 Itembraces traditional storytellers as well as
postmodern risk-takers.
 Itfeatures cultural diversity, criss-crosses the
boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, and uses
subjects, images, and themes from the past fearlessly.
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Contemporary Nonfiction

 Contemporary nonfiction has become a field equal to

fiction, though questions about terminology and
accuracy still give rise to controversy.
 New Journalism (or Literary Journalism) has added
personal and fictional elements to nonfiction,
enhancing its popularity with today’s readers.
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Contemporary Poetry

 Bythe early 1950s, many writers and readers felt that

modernist poetry – impersonal, allusive, difficult –
was no longer appropriate. The times called for a
more personal and accessible approach that
challenged complacency and convention.
 Landmarks in the revolt against modernist poetry
included poems by Alan Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, and
Ann Sexton.
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Bibliography

 Elements of Literature:Fifth Course p. 904-918