NORTH

AMERICAN
LITERATURE

Ms. Rose Ann V. Benitez​

LESSON
OBJECTIVES:
1. Recognize authors from North
America and their works
2. Critique known North American
literary works
3. Appreciate the literary works of
North America
 3

“ DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT

THE THIRD LARGEST CONTINENT

”
IN THE WORLD IS?
NORTH AMERICA 4

• 3rd Largest Continent by area

• 4th in Most Populous continent
• Divided into 5 physical regions: The Mountainous
west, The Great Plains, The Canadian Shield, The
Varied Eastern Region, and The Caribbean.
• Within these regions are all the major types of biomes
in the world.
• Owing to Europe's colonization of the Americas, most
North Americans speak European languages such as
English, Spanish or French, and their cultures
commonly reflect western traditions.
 5

EARLIER WORKS
• Inform people about:
• Colonial life
• Religious disputes
• Settlement issues
IDEALS, TRADITIONS,
6

AND VALUES
• Resulted from nation’s frontier days:
• Independence
• Equality
• Patriotism
• Truth
COMMON THEMES
7

• The American Dream

• Cultural Diversity
• Rebellion and Protest
• Coming-of-age
• Survival of the Fittest
 8

THE AMERICAN DREAM

• Closely linked to American
individualism
• The idea that anyone can become
whatever he or she wants to
become through hard work,
determination, and perseverance.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
9

• A society that welcomes legal

immigrants of diverse backgrounds.
• The melting pot theory – immigrants
assimilate into the culture and become
Americans
• The salad bowl theory – immigrants
retain their separate identities while
making up part of the whole adopt a
hyphenated American name (Chinese-
Americans)
COMMON GENRES
10

• Adventure
• Horror
• Thriller
• Mystery
• Satire
• Science Fiction
• Dystopian
• Young Adult Fiction
 11

LITERARY STYLES
• Realism
• Naturalism
• Romanticism
Literary Styles 12

REALISM

Authors Character

Henry James
A person with depth, ability to make ethical choices
William Dean Howells
and act on environment
Mark Twain
Literary Styles 13

ROMANTICISM

Authors Character

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nathaniel Hawthorne A god or an idealistic figure

Literary Styles 14

NATURALISM

Authors Character

Stephen Crane

Frank Norris A helpless object who is nevertheless heroic

ANGLO-AMERICAN
LITERATURE
ANGLO-AMERICAN
16

LITERATURE
Literary works under the influence of the
British Empire and the early discovery of
American Literature. It began in the late 450
years up to the present time. It is divided into
different periods or era; which correspond to
the different characteristics, attributes,
values, and influence that can be seen in
each literary work.
PERIODS IN
AMERICAN
LITERATURE
 18

NATIVE AMERICAN
PERIOD (PRE-1620)
• Oral tradition of song and stories
• original authors unknown
• written accounts come after
colonization
• includes: creation stories, myths,
totems
• Focuses on:
• the natural world as sacred
• importance of land and place
 19

NATIVE AMERICAN
PERIOD (PRE-1620)
• Myth – relies on the supernatural to explore
a natural phenomenon, human behavior, or
mystery
• Explain why the world is the way it is/they
help make sense of the world
 20

NATIVE AMERICAN
PERIOD (PRE-1620)
• Notable Works:
• The Earth On The turtle’s Back
• When Grizzlies Walked Upright
• Grandmother Spider Steals The Sun
• Creation By Women
PURITAN/COLONIAL
21

(1650-1750)
When colonists arrived, they created
villages and towns and established new
governments.
• Did not consider themselves
“Americans” until midp-1700’s
• Enormous displacement of Native-
American civilizations.
 22

PURITAN/COLONIAL
(1650-1750)
• Literature of the period was dominated by the
Puritans and their religious influence.
• Emphasis on faith in one’s daily life
• Predestination- A person’s fate is determined by
God
• Original Sin – all are corrupt and need a savior
• Puritan work ethic - belief in hard work and
simple, no frills living
• Theocracy – government ruled by bible/church
 23

PURITAN/COLONIAL
(1650-1750)
• Types of Writing
• Sermons
• Diaries
• Personal Narrative
• Writing Style
• Writing is Utilitarian - not professional writers
• Writing in Instructive
• Puritan Plain Style – simple and direct
 24

PURITAN/COLONIAL
(1650-1750)
• Representative Authors:
• William Bradford (journal)
• Anne Bradstreet (poetry)
• Jonathan Edwards (sermon)
• Mary Rowlandson (captivity narrative)
• Phillis Wheatly (poetry)
• Olaudah Equiano (slave narrative)
 25

REVOLUTIONARY / AGE
OF REASON (1750-1800)
• Occurred during/after the Revolutionary War
• Writers focused on explaining and justifying the
American Revolution
• Writers pondered what really means to be an
American
• After the war of 1812(when last British troops
were removed from North America) there was an
even greater focus on nationalism, patriotism,
and American Identity
 26

REVOLUTIONARY / AGE
OF REASON (1750-1800)
• Emphasis on reason as opposed to faith alone;
this was a reaction to the Puritan way of life
• Shift to a more print-based culture; literacy seen
as a sign of status
• Instructive in values, highly ornate writing
style; highly political and patriotic
 27

REVOLUTIONARY / AGE
OF REASON (1750-1800)
• Representative Authors:
• Benjamin Franklin (biography, common
sense aphorisms)
• Patrick Henry (speech)
• Thomas Paine (pamphlet)
• Thomas Jefferson (political documents)
• Abigail Adams (letters)
ROMANTICISM 28

(1800-1860)
• A reaction to previous decades in which reason
and rational thought dominated
• Period of invention, manifest, destiny, abolition
movement, and the “birth” of truly American
literature
• Growth of urban population in Northeast
• Growth of newspapers, lectures, debates
• Revolution in transportation and science
• Industrial revolution made “old ways” of doing
things irrelevant
 ROMANTICISM (1800-
Presentation title 29

1860)
• Writers celebrated: • Interest in fantasy and
• Individualism supernatural
• Nature • Writing can be
• Imagination interpreted two ways –
surface and depth
• Creativity
• Good triumphs over
• Emotions
evil
• Types of Writing: • Imagination over
• Short Stories reason
• Novels • Intuition over fact
• Poetry
 ROMANTICISM (1800-
Presentation title 30

1860)
• Early Romantics • Authors
• Authors began the • Washing Irving
tradition of creating (folktales)
imaginative literature • William Cullen
that was distinctly Bryant (poetry)
American • James Fenimore
Cooper (novels)
 ROMANTICISM (1800-
Presentation title 31

1860)
• Fireside Poets • Poets
• The most popular poets • Henry Wadsworth
of the time were read in Longfellow
the by the fireside • Oliver Wendell
• Poetry contained strong
Holmes
family values and
patriotism
• James Russell Lowell
• Taught in elementary • John Greanleaf
schools for Whittier
memorization
 ROMANTICISM (1800-
Presentation title 32

1860)
• Transcendentalist • Authors
• Hippies of the • Ralph Waldo
Romanticism Emerson (essays,
• Belief that man’s nature is poetry)
inherently good; “divine
spark” or “inner light”
• Henry David
• Man and society are Thoreau (essays)
perfectible (utopia)
• Stress individualism, self-
reliance, intuition
 ROMANTICISM (1800-
Presentation title 33

1860)
• Dark Romantics • Authors
• AKA – Gothic or Anti- • Nathaniel
transcendentalism
• Man’s nature is inherently
Hawthorne (novels,
evil short stories)
• Use of supernatural • Herman Melville
• Strong use of symbolism (novels, short
• Dark landscapes, depressed stories, poetry)
characters
• Edgar Allan Poe
(Short stories,
poetry, literary
criticism)
 34

REALISM (1855-1900)
• The Realistic Period includes the Civil
War, significant industrial inventions, and
extensive westward expansion.
• Rejection of Romantic view of life as too
idealistic
• Writers write about real-life issues and
complex events of the time rather than
idealized people or places
• Objective narrator
 35

REALISM (1855-1900)
• Realistic authors convey the reality of life,
however harsh
• Characters reflect ordinary people in
everyday life: determined yet flawed,
struggling to overcome the difficulties of war,
family, natural disasters, and human
weaknesses
• Good doesn’t always triumph over evil
• Nature is a powerful force beyond man’s control
• Racism persisted beyond slavery
Presentation title 36

REALISM (1855-1900)
• Transitional Writers • Authors
• Romanticism to realism
• Walt Whitman
• Express Transcendental
ideas in poetry, with (poetry)
realistic detail • Emily Dickinson
• Experimented with new (poetry)
poetic techniques such as
free verse and slant rhyme
Presentation title 37

REALISM (1855-1900)
• Civil war • Authors
Concerned with: • Abraham Lincoln
• The war • Robert E. Lee
• Mary Chesnut
• Slavery
• Sojourner Truth
• Women’s suffrage
• Harriet Beecher
(right to vote)
Stowe
• Frederick
Douglass
Presentation title 38

REALISM (1855-1900)
• Local Color Writers: • Authors
• Focused on a particular • Mark Twain
region of the country
• Seeking to represent • Kate Chopin
accurately the culture and • Willa Cather
beliefs of that area
• Emphasized:
• Physical landscape
• Habits
• Occupations
• Speech (dialect) of the
area’s people
NATURALISM (1880- 39

1940)
• Realism turned to Naturalism when literary
writers were exposed to the views of three
scientific/political works
• Charles Darwin – Biological determinism
• Sigmund Freud – psychological determinism
• Karl Max – socio-economic determinism

• Determinism – the belief that humans

cannot be held morally responsible for their
actions due to circumstances beyond their
control
Presentation title 40

NATURALISM (1880-1940)
• Focused on grim reality • Life is meaningless
• Observed characters like • Fate = chance (no
scientist observe lab free will)
animals • Characters are
• Viewed nature and the helpless victims –
universe as indifferent, trapped by nature,
event hostile, to man the environment, or
• Universe is godless, their own heritage
cold, and indifferent
Presentation title 41

NATURALISM (1880-1940)
• Authors:
• Jack London (novels, short stories)
• Stephen Crane (novels, short stories,
poetry)
• Edwin Arlington Robinson (poetry)
• Ambrose Bierce (Short Stories)
MODERNISM (1900- 42

1950)
• Writers affected by:
• World War 1, World War 2, fear of
communism.], beginning of the Cold
War
• Roaring 20s, the Great Depression,
commercialism
• Increased population from
immigrations
• Lingering racial tensions
• Technological Changes
• Fear of eroding traditions
MODERNISM (1900- 43

1950)
• Modern writers are known for:
• Themes of alienation and
disconnectedness
• Frequent use of irony and
understatement
• Experimentation with new literary
techniques in fiction and poetry
• Stream of consciousness
• Interior dialogue
• Fragments
• Creating a unique style
• Rise of ethnic female writers
POSTMODERNISM (1950- 44

PRESENT)
• Unprecedented prosperity • Mass culture and
• Global conflict consumerism; media
• Korean war, Vietnam war,
the end of the cold war, the
saturation
rise of terrorism, gulf war, • The rise of technology
9/11, Iraqi War, War in and space exploration
Afghanistan
• Social Protest • The digital revolution
• The civil rights movement,
the women’s right
movement, the gay rights
movement
POSTMODERNISM (1950- 45

PRESENT)

• Eclectic – a collection • Questions traditional

of a little bit of values
everything • Often critical and
• Create traditional ironic
works without • No heroes/anti-heroes
traditional structure are common
• Address social issues • Detached,
related to gender, race, unemotional;
youthful rebellion • Individuals are
isolated
NORTH AMERICAN
WRITERS
 47

CAPTAIN JOHN’S
SMITH
• Wrote “A Time of Virginia”
• Discussed the advantages of
colonial rule to both the colonies
and the colonist audiences
 48

• SAMUEL ADAMS
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
THOMAS PAINE

• Hailed for its wit and its

contribution to building the nation
that is today
 49

MOBY DICK
By Herman Melville

• Novel: marine epic, adventure

story, quest tale, tragedy
• The exploitive nature of whaling
• The limits of knowledge
• The deceptiveness of fate
 50

I’M NOBODY! WHO

ARE YOU?
By Emily Dickinson

• The wistful to the unsettling

• Wonders of nature to the foibles
of human nature
• “Are you-nobody-too?”
• “They’d banish us-you know!”
 51

THE GREAT GATSBY

By Francis Scott Fiyzgerald

• “The Great American novel”

• Genre: tragedy, realism,
modernism, social satire