Early American Authors

During the 1800s, there were three important authors who focused on the past and inner human nature. However, the two most important authors were Washington Irving and Edgar Allen Poe. Irving focused more on nature and the inner world of human nature. While Poe focused on the inner world of human nature and the past. Romantic Literature is primarily concerned with nature, the inner world of human nature and the past.

The American Romantic literary period was during the time of westward expansion. The main ideas of romantic writers included imagination, intuition, idealism, inspiration, and individuality. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the best gothic writers of the romantic era publishing, over fifty stories. The Cask of Amontillado is one of Poe's great short stories about pride and revenge. Washington Irving was another author of the romantic period who wrote gothic literature. His most famous work was probably The Devil and Tom Walker which is a story about greed and decisions. The Cask of Amontillado and The Devil and Tom Walker are by two different prominent authors, but are very similar in their gothic elements.

Thomas Paine was responsible for some of the most influential works of the revolution. Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was a very crucial part to America and its movement of independence from Britain. Paine was effective with his writings by being very plain. He wanted both farmers and officials to understand what he was talking about and be able to comprehend his ideas. Paine wanted to put his ideas out to the people of the American colonies so that they could understand it just by reading and not have to analyze and decipher what he was really trying to get across. He wanted to let the colonist know that there was no more room for talking about a split from English rule but it was time for the colonies to unite and take up arms against their British oppressors.

Romanticism Era literature significantly differs from colonial period. Being two centuries apart, these time periods differ in ideas and beliefs, which affect the poets and authors of that time, as well as their writing style. Edgar Allen Poe, a well-known poet and author of the19th century, is a great example of romanticism. His works are unique in every way, but at the same time they fit the "standard" writing of Romantic period. His stories and poems are full of fantasy, creativity, mystery and unreal events. Edgar Allen Poe is a complete opposite of Colonial author Anne Bradstreet, whose works are also recognized exemplary. Yet, Anne Bradstreet has absolutely different perspective on writing and life. Her poems are more sentimental, touching and realistic than that of Poe's.

Throughout history there have been many influential writers that have impacted generations. There have been writers from Shakespeare in England to Sun Tzu in China. They have impacted the many generations that followed. America has had many influential writers of its own. Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain are just a few of the many examples of writers that have originated in America. Mark Twain wrote "Extracts from Adam's Diary" a playful short story of how man met woman. Emily Dickinson's Success is Counted Sweetest is a poem on how when one succeeds it brings joy into the effort that was put forth. One may learn a great deal from reading works of literature.

Writers in The romantic Period wrote their pieces with emotion, compared to the Colonial Period when it was about information, and politics. Writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Ralph Emerson, and Henry Longfellow are some of the writers of this time. They all help shape and, make a path for the Romantic Period. The Romantic Period took place in the 1800’s, and was at its peak around 1850 or so. It originated in the area of Europe and was all about the spread of art, music, and writing.

The beginning of American literature was only in the late seventeenth century during the Puritanism Era. Even then works primarily focused on religious studies and had not developed continuous themes of their own. As the country began to grow older through the colonial and revolutionary periods, American literature grew into what it was by the nineteenth century. Within the Antebellum period, writers had taken on romanticism, transcendentalism, and realism, creating writings with defined purposes and overarching themes which could be used to develop claims and commentary on the state of the nation. The Antebellum period was one full of uncertainties, tensions, political unrest, and the imminent threat of division. The foundations of America provided basic themes that permeate literature through the American Civil War- freedom, sacrifice, and death.

The period of the late eighteenth century and beginning of the nineteenth was cosidered the Romantic era in Europe and in America. This movement was a large scale rebellion against the Englightment period ideas where science and logic ruled the literary arts. Authors took several approaches on how to convey to the readers social and metaphysical opinions through the tone in a series of novels published. Tone is apparent in much of the American Romantic era writing including that of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

There is a definite distinction between American literature written during the Colonial times and literature written after the colonization of America. Colonial American literature was written by American authors who were experiencing something completely new and different to them. They had never been colonists or “traitors” to their mother country, Great Britain, before and this showed in their literature.

Romantic Period In American Literature The Romantic period was to be one of the many influential times in American Literature. Like all innovations, the romantic era was spurred on by past and present circumstances. The Romantic Period concentrated on emotion, visualization, aesthetics, human nature, religion, myth and heroism. Some authors took their own spin on romanticism suiting their ideas and style.

American Romanticism a period of forming a cultural identity open door to writers to make a profound impact on American literature. Edgar Allan Poe the author of : “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, and “The Raven” became one them. Through his literary works, Poe left an influence on American literature.

Author Nathaniel Hawthorne who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the romantic period. Particularly, in his work titled “The Birthmark” written in 1843 we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the romantic movement which was extant in American letters between 1800 and 1850. As a representative of such a movement, Nathaniel Hawthorne then remains one of the most identifiable and iconic writers of his time.

Jayme Sampler Professor Douglas ENG 231-06 8 December 2015 Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe: How They Paved A New Way for Early American Literature. In the years following the United States of America officially gaining its freedom, the nation went through many changes including the first bank robbery, the start of baseball and the Trail of Tears (America’s). In addition to all of this, three other important things happened: the birth of three of the most influential writers of American fiction.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's literature exhibits the influence of many factors. Much of his literature addresses Puritan culture in early America, commonly focusing on the shortcomings and hypocrisies that became apparent during the numerous witch hunts. Many of his works are allegorical, using the Puritan setting to portray his own ideas about ancestry, history, and religion. While The Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables are among Hawthorne's most known works, he produced a large sum of work, including many famous short stories. The most important of these, "Young Goodman Brown," is noted for its vivid depiction of witch craft and Puritan culture. However, it is of greater significance because the story clearly exhibits the marks

There have been many famous American authors; some better than others, but do we know who these people really are? In the case of F. Scott Fitzgerald we saw what he wanted us to see; for instance, a successful career, expensive jewelry and the nice cars. F. Scott Fitzgerald began to write at a young age and he is known for being a brilliant author and with a lavish lifestyle and great success, but his gilded life was often tarnished with alcoholism, overspending, and a sense of failure.