Later periods in American Literature

The American Republic and The Contemporary Periods

American Republic

 “Republic” or res publica means “public thing”

 James Madison defined republicanism as representative government.
 Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Adress shows how republicanism must defend the
rule of law against mob violence.

Contemporary Period

 Development from modernism.

 Effects of World War II.
 Response to conformity.

Regionalism (1860-1930)

 Originates from post-civil war era, however some critics locate its origin in
antebellum period.

Regionalism Characteristics

 Regionalism refers to texts that concentrate heavily on specific unique features of

a certain region.
 Includes dialect, customs, tradition, topography, history, and characters.
 It focuses on the formal and the informal, analyzing the attitudes characters have
towards one another and their community as a whole.
American Regionalism Authors/Works

SARAH ORNE JEWETT

 New England regionalist.

 Known for “The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896)”

CHARLES CHESNUTT

 First African American writer.

 Wrote regionalist fiction about South.

KATE CHOPIN

 Her writings are set in New Orleans or Rural Louisiana.

 The Awakening (1899)
 Reflects her interest in women desires.

Cultural Independence

In 1780s, NOAH WEBSTER declared that "America must be as independent in

literature as she is in politics"

Spelling book - WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY.

American Cultural Independence Author and Works

 Washington Iriving
 Rip Van Winkle Headless
 Horseman