GEC 14

WORLD LITERATURE

LESSON 9
AMERICAN LITERATURE

American literature is the body of written works produced in the English language in the United
States of America.
American literature began with the arrival of English-speaking Europeans in America. John Smith
was a soldier of fortune who initiated American literature. His chief books were: (1) A True Relation Of
Virginia; and (2) The General History of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles. Most of the authors
wrote books about praising America as a land of economic promise. These authors were: (1) Daniel
Denton who wrote “Brief Description of New York;” (2) William Penn who wrote “Brief Account of the
Province of Pennsylvania;” and (3) Thomas Ashe who wrote “Carolina.” The literature during this period
included biographies, treatises, accounts of voyages, and sermons. There were only a few drama and
fiction. There was bad but popular poetry in the literature “Bay Psalm Book” and “The Day of Doom.” The
author Anne Bradstreet wrote the literature “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America” which was
about her feelings concerning religion and her family. The poet Edward Taylor wrote poems that showed
his delight in Christian belief and experience.
The author Cotton Mather wrote the literature: (1) Magnalia Christi Americana; and (2)
Manuductio ad Ministerium. These were about defenses of ancient Puritan convictions. The author
Jonathan Edwards wrote the religious book “Great Awakening.” The author Samuel Sewall wrote the
literature “Diary” which showed in daily records how commercial life in New England replaced rigid
Puritanism with more worldly attitudes.
The American Revolutionary Period is notable for the political writings of Benjamin Franklin,
Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. The writer John Neal helped advance
America’s progress toward a unique literature and culture.
The American author Edgar Allan Poe wrote the famous poems: (1) To Helen; (2) The Raven;
and (3) Annabel Lee. He wrote the crime stories: (1) The Tell-Tale Heart; and (2) The Cask of
Amontillado.
The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the famous poems: (1) Brahma; (2) Concord
Hymn; (3) The Rhodora; (4) Uriel; (5) Boston Hymn; (6) Terminus. He wrote the essays: (1) Self-
Reliance; (2) Compensation; (3) The Over-Soul; (4) The Poet; (5) Experience.
The American poet Robert Frost wrote the famous poem “Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy
Evening.” It is about a traveller who stopped walking to watch the snow fall in the forest and reflected on
nature and society. The other poems of Robert Frost are: (1) The Road Not Taken; (2) Nothing Gold Can
Stay; (3) Acquainted With The Night; (4) Fire And Ice; (5) The Self-Seeker; and many more.
The American short story writer William Sydney Porter is better known by his pen name “O.
Henry.” He wrote the famous story “Gift Of The Magi.” The story tells of a young husband and wife and
how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money.
The other short stories of O. Henry are: (1) The Last Leaf; (2) A Retrieved Reformation; (3) After Twenty
Years; (4) The Green Door; (5) The Furnished Room; and many more.
The American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the famous novel “The Great Gatsby.” It is about
the interaction of Nick Carraway with the multi-millionaire Jay Gatsby who is obsessed to reunite with his
first love, Daisy Buchanan. The other novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald are: (1) The Side Of Paradise; (2) The
Beautiful And Damned; (3) Tender Is The Night; (4) The Last Time I Saw Paris; and many more.

END
Quiz No. 9

1) In what language is American literature written?

2) When did American literature begin?

3) Who initiated American literature?

4) For what reason did the authors praise America?

5) What literary works were few during the period of American literature?

6) What was “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America” concerned about regarding Anne
Bradstreet’s feelings?

7) Who wrote the religious book “Great Awakening”?

8) What delighted Edward Taylor that is shown in his poems?

9) Who wrote the literature “Diary”?

10) What was the literature of Cotton Mather about?