American Poetry and the Boston Brahmins

Edgar Allan Poe

• Focus was on sound over content in his poems.
• Poetry aimed for "pleasure" rather than truth, with "pleasure" being a feeling of gentle sadness.

Boston Brahmins

• A group of aristocratic Boston writers.
• Came from wealthy, established Boston families.
• Admired English literature but considered Boston the intellectual center of America
• Key members included Longfellow, Holmes, James, and Lowell.

Longfellow

• The group's most famous member.
• Later in life, his writings shifted toward religious themes.

Holmes

• Invented the term "Brahmins" to describe the group.
• Known for his humorous "light verse"

The Civil War and the “Gilded Age”

• A time of social and cultural change in America.

Walt Whitman

• His life's work was "Leaves of Grass".
• Freed American poets from traditional English writing styles.

Emily Dickinson

• An influential New England poet who wrote during the Civil War era.
• Her works did not directly address the war or other major national events.

Mark Twain

• Best exemplified the literary characteristics of the Gilded Age.
• He redefined the Mississippi River from Dickens’ "horrible ditch" into a symbol of the human journey.
• Author of "The Gilded Age" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".
• Coined the term "Gilded Age" to describe the period of apparent wealth and prosperity in the U.S. that hid social issues like crime and injustice.

Realism and Naturalism

• A shift towards depicting reality without romanticizing it.
• Focused on the everyday, the common, and the negative as well as positive.

William Dean Howells

• Pioneer of American Realism.
• Advocated for a literature that reflected real life and encouraged social change.
• Hated romantic literature like Frank Stockton's historical romances.
• Deemed realist novels should stimulate thought and incite social responsibility.

Naturalism

• Branch of realism that emphasizes the influence of social conditions and environment on human character.
• Based on scientific principles.
• Used detailed realism in depictions.
• French novelist Emile Zola pioneered Naturalism.
• Theorized that social, economic, and psychological factors determine human choices.

Stephen Crane

• Considered the first American Naturalist.

Henry James

• Author of "The Portrait of a Lady", the best of his middle period.
• Psychological realist focused on inner life and observation of the mind.
• Less interested in social conditions than Howells and other naturalists.

Henry Adams

• Member of the Boston Brahmin group.
• Felt saddened by the decline of old Boston aristocracy and the rise of wealthy businessmen.
• Found modern life too complex for traditional 19th-century education.
• Believed "chaos" is the law of nature and that individual agency is limited.

Friedrich Nietzsche

• Influential thinker whose ideas impacted American literature.
• Explained the "will to power" – a desire for control within each individual.
• Saw this will as "beyond good and evil".

The New Realism & The Turning Point in American Literature

• Brooks and other critics recognized the need for self-criticism in American literature.
• Led to "new realism", which emphasized honesty and truthfulness in portraying American life.
• Broke away from traditional puritanical values and embraced the exploration of sexuality.
• Sigmund Freud's lectures on psychology were a significant influence on this movement.

Explore the influential poets and writers of the American literary scene, particularly focusing on Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Learn about the impact of the Boston Brahmins and the cultural changes during the Civil War and Gilded Age. This quiz delves into the themes, styles, and key figures that shaped American poetry.