Analysis Of The Study Of American Literature

“In Democracy in America, de Tocqueville observed that Americans esteemed the arts and sciences more for their practical applications than for their abstract value —hence the popularity of newspapers, religious treatises, and self-help books” (2-3). Since that is the case, the interpretation of a classic must evolve for it can relate to today’s society. Current society includes cultural diversity, therefore, literature that is taught must provide this diversity. Students should be reading literature that will give insight to others and contains a strong meaning; rather than providing literature that does nm for the student. reading a book just for a grade will not help the student in anyway.

American literature is not only written by American authors, but is influenced and reflects on the nation’s past and truths, whether good or bad. sAdventures of

In the 19th century, political philospher Alexis de Tocqueville claimed, “the in habitants of the United States have… properly speaking, no literature.” This will be demonstrated as false by looking into the unique literature produced by America. Two examples we will be looking at are from Sarah Orne Jewett and Edgar Allen Poe. The pair will prove that Alexis de Tocqueville’s statement is not accurate, and that America has very distinct literature.

One of the most interesting things about a culture is the voice of the people. In the United States, the American Voice is the combined voices of the people who live in America and the mixing of thousands of different perspectives and ideas. The natural mixing of American culture leads to change whether for better or for worse, as time goes on, so does America and the American people. American literature commonly has strong themes of unity and equality. The clearest way to see the voice of a culture is through its literature, essays by american authors like The Declaration of Independance, Ain’t I a Woman, and Letters from Birmingham Jail.

When I think of America, I think of freedom. We live in a country where we can do what we choose. We can express our opinions and live our own lives. Individuals can form their own individual beliefs and they can do what they want and pursue what they wish. They can play basketball, go to school, get a job, have a family, buy a house, or go to church. We are free. We have opportunity to be whatever we want to make ourselves. When you ask, what is an American? I find it no different to ask, what is freedom? America and freedom are intertwined and this relationship is evident in American literature.

In the early years of America’s foundation, a powerful air of uncapped potential, the desire for expansion and individual identification enamored the American people. Progress was inevitable as was cultural definition. But as time progressed, the feeling of unlimited strength, time and space transformed into something that, for better or worse, was no longer shared by later poets. Those of the “New World” came to realize that their world never really managed to leave behind the faults of the “Old.” Societal tension rose as different poets and authors struggled to pin down the direction of American culture and its ideals. When no solid idea was able to capture American culture adequately, the concept of an ever-evolving American identity

American literature has been evolving since the dawn of the Puritan exploration and colonization in the early 1600s. From John Smith's books and descriptions of Native American life to the revolutionary ideas of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, literature has had many forms and has taken many ideas across time to interpreted by scholars of today. The early Americans were very successful in creating a style of literature that has a complete web of genres to be examined, as well as some genres being sourced more than others. These distinctions only help to prove the diversity of American literature from 1607 to the present day.

In the late sixteenth century, a religious reform arose among the church of England. The puritanism reform brought foundation to the religious, intellectual, and social structure in New England. Puritanism closely relates to the Amish which is a christian church that connects to the protestant reformation also in the sixteenth century Europe. The puritanism and Amish both are hundreds of years old as is the American Literary Canon. This canon consists of american literature from different authors at different times. The Judgement by Beverly Lewis should be a part of the literary canon because it opens deeper perceptions about the lives of the Amish women. It also provides insight for readers to the complex struggles Amish women faced with religion, society, culture and the self.

In the colonial period, America was just starting to form and the people were just beginning to brainstorm ways of uniform life to live. Many looked to religion and focused their writing to center around God while others believe in Rationalism and the arts of “Science, Ethics, and Government”. American literature seemed to have three staple points that defined the times: God and religion (Puritanism), creation stories, and finally Rationalism.

We can decide how “American” a piece of writing is by seeing if it is written about America or makes reference to America. Also, was it written by an American? America contains people of so many different backgrounds, cultures, etc. America’s values and morals have changed over the years. If you read American literature, you can see how much it has changed. You can also learn about the history of America. The language has changed from formal and now is more modern. The form has changed over the years. Some of the writings like the poems were very deep that it can be difficult for somebody in this age to decipher the poem. They are very deep and had meaning, but the meaning may not be even close to what we think without doing some research

While writers have different ways of critiquing American society during these three periods, they try to improve people’s understanding of the world based their perspective of the world. As a result, the authors from these different time periods have similar qualities of critiquing society; they want to escape from society, to discover truth, and to awake

“A Tale Intended to be After the Fact…” is how Stephan Crane introduced his harrowing story, “The Open Boat,” but this statement also shows that history influences American Literature. Throughout history, there has been a connection among literary works from different periods. The connection is that History, current events, and social events have influenced American Literature. Authors, their literary works, and the specific writing styles; are affected and influenced by the world around them. Authors have long used experiences they have lived through and/or taken out of history to help shape and express in their works. Writing styles are also affected by the current trends and opinions of the period they represent. By reading American

The development of American Literature, much like the development of the nation, began in earnest, springing from a Romantic ideology that honored individualism and visionary idealism. As the nation broke away from the traditions of European Romanticism, America forged its own unique romantic style that would resonate through future generations of literary works. Through periods of momentous change, the fundamentally Romantic nature of American literature held fast, a fact clearly demonstrated in the fiction of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In an era of post-war disillusionment, when idealism succumbed to hedonistic materialism, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s romantically charged novel,

Early American literature may be said to begin with the Colonial period. John Smith and John Winthrop are two examples of the types of writing at this period: the former kept a romantic journal of his adventures in the New World; the latter kept a journal (or history) of life in New England, where religious matters were of utmost importance. The Puritans had come seeking a life free from religious persecution (which, they ironically brought with them however, as their descendent Nathaniel Hawthorne would show in The Scarlet Letter).

Throughout the duration of this class, I had the opportunity to encounter a great deal of fantastic examples of literature. The stories were as similar as they were different, each one with a unique premise but somehow also reflective of one another. Perhaps it is be accident, or more likely it is because the stories are a part of the fabric of our nation and the American condition. The stories are of their respective times while also being able to fairly and accurately critique American society, culture, and values. From capitalism to America’s changing thoughts on morality throughout the decades, the writings were introspective to the story of our nation.