American Literary Movements (11th Grade Review).pdf
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â€Covered in 10th Grade‬ â€Native American‬â€(Before 1600)‬ †ative American literature, deeply rooted in‬ N â€oral tradition‬â€, consists of‬â€epic tales, creation‬ â€myths, songs, and poetry passed down‬ â€through generations‬â€. These stories,‬â€rich with‬ â€symbolism and moral lesson...
â€Covered in 10th Grade‬ â€Native American‬â€(Before 1600)‬ †ative American literature, deeply rooted in‬ N â€oral tradition‬â€, consists of‬â€epic tales, creation‬ â€myths, songs, and poetry passed down‬ â€through generations‬â€. These stories,‬â€rich with‬ â€symbolism and moral lessons‬â€, often‬â€explain‬ â€natural phenomena‬â€or cultural practices.‬ â€Prominent figures include Black Elk, a Lakota‬ â€Sioux holy man whose life and teachings‬ â€were recorded in‬â€Black Elk Speaks‬â€. (In‬ â€contemporary literature, authors like‬ â€Sherman Alexie (‬â€The Lone Ranger and Tonto‬ â€Fistfight in Heaven‬â€), Joy Harjo, the first Native‬ â€American Poet Laureate of the United States‬ â€(‬â€An American Sunrise‬â€), Tommy Orange (‬â€There‬ â€There‬â€), and Leslie Marmon Silko (‬â€Ceremony‬â€)‬ â€have revived and reinterpreted Native‬ â€American traditions, exploring themes of‬ â€identity, displacement, and survival.)‬ â€Covered in 10th Grade‬ â€Puritanism or Colonial‬â€(1620-1750)‬ †uritan literature was heavily influenced by‬ P â€religious beliefs‬â€and the desire to create a‬ â€'city upon a hill,' a model of Christian living.‬ â€Works from this period often focus on the‬ â€spiritual journey of individuals, detailing‬â€the‬ â€challenges and triumphs of leading a pious‬ â€life in the New World‬â€. William Bradford’s‬â€Of‬ â€Plymouth Plantation‬â€and Anne Bradstreet’s‬ â€poetry are key examples. Jonathan Edwards’‬ â€sermon‬â€Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God‬ â€captures the intense religious fervor of the‬ â€time,‬â€warning of divine wrath‬â€and urging‬ â€repentance.‬ â€Covered in 10th Grade‬ †evolutionary, Age of Reason,‬ R â€Enlightenment‬â€(1750-1800)‬ †his period saw the‬â€rise of American‬ T â€political thought‬â€and a‬â€focus on reason,‬ â€science,‬â€and‬â€skepticism.‬â€Enlightenment‬ â€writers like Thomas Paine‬ â€(‬â€Common Sense‬â€) and Benjamin‬ â€Franklin (‬â€Poor Richard’s‬ â€Almanack‬â€) used satire and wit to‬ â€critique British rule and‬ â€promote independence.‬ â€Thomas Jefferson’s‬â€The‬ â€Declaration of Independence‬â€embodies‬ â€Enlightenment ideals, asserting‬â€the rights of‬ â€individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of‬ â€happiness‬â€. Literature from this era reflects a‬ â€growing‬â€confidence in human reason‬â€and a‬ â€belief in progress.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€Romanticism, American Gothic‬â€(1800-1865)‬ †omanticism‬â€in America emphasized‬â€emotion,‬ R â€nature,‬â€and‬â€individualism‬â€,‬â€rejecting the‬ â€rationalism of the Enlightenment.‬â€Romanticism‬ â€coincided with a period of nation-building and‬â€a‬ â€growing sense of American identity distinct from‬ â€European roots‬â€. For American Romantics,‬ â€celebrating the‬â€unique spirit, landscape, and‬ â€democratic ideals of America‬â€became important.‬ â€Washington Irving (‬â€The Legend of Sleepy Hollow‬â€),‬ â€James Fenimore Cooper (‬â€The Last of the Mohicans‬â€),‬ â€and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poetry) were‬ â€all key figures in shaping a distinctly American‬ â€voice.‬ †he‬â€Gothic subgenre‬â€, with its fascination‬ T â€with the‬â€dark‬â€, the‬â€mysterious‬â€, and the‬ â€supernatural‬â€, was mastered by Edgar‬ â€Allan Poe (‬â€The Raven‬â€,‬â€The Fall of the House of‬ â€Usher‬â€). His works delve into the‬â€human psyche‬â€,‬ â€exploring themes of madness, death, and the‬ â€macabre. Other prominent authors and poets‬ â€within this genre include Nathaniel Hawthorne,‬ â€William Faulkner, and Emily Dickinson.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€Transcendentalism‬â€(1840-1860)‬ †ranscendentalism emerged as a philosophical‬ T â€movement emphasizing the‬â€inherent goodness of‬ â€individuals‬â€and their capacity to transcend the‬ â€physical world through‬â€self-reliance, nature,‬â€and‬ â€personal intuition.‬â€It arose as a reaction against‬â€the‬ â€rigid religious and social structures of the time. Ralph‬ â€Waldo Emerson, a leading figure, articulated the‬ â€movement’s core ideas in essays like "Self-Reliance" and "Nature."‬ â€He advocated for‬â€trusting one's inner voice‬â€and finding‬â€truth‬ â€within oneself‬â€rather than adhering to societal norms‬â€.‬â€Henry‬ â€David Thoreau, influenced by Emerson, documented his‬ â€experiment in simple living at Walden Pond in his book‬â€Walden‬â€,‬ â€and argued for civil disobedience in his essay "Civil‬ â€Disobedience," promoting‬â€resistance to unjust laws‬â€.‬â€Margaret‬ â€Fuller extended Transcendentalist ideas into the realm of social‬ â€reform with her work "Woman in the Nineteenth Century,"‬ â€where she championed women’s rights and gender equality,‬ â€making Transcendentalism a platform for‬â€broader social‬â€change‬â€.‬ â€Bronson Alcott, known for his innovative educational methods,‬ â€and his daughter Louisa May Alcott, who incorporated‬ â€Transcendentalist values into her writing, further influenced the‬ â€movement. At its core, Transcendentalism‬â€rejected‬â€societal‬ â€institutions‬â€and promoted a‬â€return to nature‬â€, where‬â€individuals‬ â€could connect with the divine and cultivate personal morality.‬ â€This philosophy influenced a range of cultural and literary‬ â€figures, including poet Walt Whitman, whose‬â€Leaves‬â€of Grass‬ â€celebrated individuality and the‬â€interconnectedness‬â€of life‬â€.‬ â€Transcendentalist ideals also‬â€played a role in social‬â€justice‬ â€movements, such as abolitionism‬â€, leaving a lasting‬â€impact on‬ â€American thought and literature.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€Realism and Naturalism‬â€(1865-1914)‬ †ealism‬â€sought to depict‬â€life as it truly was‬â€,‬ R â€often focusing on the‬â€everyday lives of‬ â€ordinary people‬â€. Mark Twain’s‬â€The Adventures of‬ â€Huckleberry Finn‬â€is a quintessential example,‬ â€using regional dialects and vivid descriptions of‬ â€the Mississippi River to explore themes of race‬ â€and identity.‬ †aturalism‬â€, an offshoot of realism,‬ N â€portrayed‬â€humans as products of‬ â€their environment, shaped by‬ â€forces beyond their control.‬â€Jack‬ â€London’s‬â€The Call of the Wild‬ â€illustrates the‬â€harsh realities‬â€of war and‬ â€wilderness survival. John Steinbeck's‬â€Of Mice and‬ â€Men‬â€captures the struggles and aspirations of‬ â€ordinary people during The Great Depression,‬ â€using a realistic approach to explore broader‬ â€social issues.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€Modernism and The Lost Generation‬â€(1914-1945)‬ †odernism emerged as a response to the‬ M â€disillusionment‬â€of World War I,‬ â€questioning traditional values‬â€and‬ â€experimenting with new literary forms‬â€.‬ â€F. Scott Fitzgerald’s‬â€The Great Gatsby‬ â€captures the decadence and despair of the‬ â€Jazz Age, while Ernest Hemingway’s‬â€The Sun Also Rises‬ â€explores the aimlessness of the Lost Generation.‬ â€William Faulkner’s‬â€The Sound and the Fury‬â€and‬ â€Virginia Woolf’s‬â€Mrs. Dalloway‬â€are noted for their‬ â€stream-of-consciousness techniques, delving deep‬ â€into the minds of their characters.‬â€The Lost‬ â€Generation‬â€, disillusioned by World War I, included‬ â€writers like Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Gertrude‬ â€Stein, who sought meaning in a world that seemed to‬ â€have lost its moral compass. Modernist literature‬ â€often reflects a fragmented world‬â€, yet retains an‬ â€underlying optimism about the‬â€potential for‬ â€personal and societal transformation.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€The Harlem Renaissance‬â€(1917-1937)‬ †he Harlem Renaissance was a cultural‬ T â€explosion in Harlem, New York, where‬ â€African American artists, musicians, and‬ â€writers celebrated their heritage and‬ â€explored new forms of expression‬â€.‬ â€Langston Hughes, with his‬â€jazz-influenced‬ â€poetry‬â€like‬â€The Weary Blues‬â€, and Zora Neale‬ â€Hurston, author of‬â€Their Eyes Were Watching God‬â€, were‬â€central‬ â€figures. This period coincided with the Jazz Age and the‬ â€Roaring Twenties, an era of prosperity and excess captured‬ â€in Fitzgerald’s‬â€The Great Gatsby‬â€(though this is not‬â€considered‬ â€HR literature.) The period engaged with‬â€social and‬â€political‬ â€change‬â€,‬â€addressing issues of civil rights‬â€and advocating‬â€for‬ â€social justice.‬ â€Beat Generation‬â€(1950-1965)‬ †he Beats, including Jack Kerouac (‬â€On the Road‬â€), Allen‬ T â€Ginsberg (‬â€Howl‬â€), and William S. Burroughs (‬â€Naked Lunch‬â€),‬ â€rejected the conformity and materialism of post-war‬ â€America.‬â€Their works often explored‬â€themes of spirituality,‬ â€sexual liberation, and the search for authenticity‬â€.‬â€The Beat‬ â€Generation laid the groundwork for the countercultural‬ â€movements of the 1960s, influencing‬ â€music, art, and literature with their‬ â€embrace of nonconformity and‬ â€spontaneity‬â€.‬ â€Covered in 11th Grade‬ â€Contemporary/Postmodernism (1950-Present)‬ †ontemporary literature, encompassing works from the‬ C â€late 20th century to the present, reflects a‬â€wide‬â€range of‬ â€styles, themes, and societal concerns, including‬ â€identity, globalization, and social justice‬â€. It is‬â€marked by‬ â€its diversity and responsiveness to‬â€current issues‬â€and‬ â€cultural shifts‬â€.‬ †ostmodernism‬â€, a specific movement within‬ P â€contemporary literature that began in the mid-20th‬ â€century, is known for its innovative approach to‬ â€storytelling. It‬â€challenges traditional narrative‬ â€structures‬â€with‬â€techniques such as irony, parody,‬â€and‬ â€metafiction,‬â€and often‬â€explores the fluidity of truth‬â€and‬ â€reality‬â€. Tim O’Brien’s‬â€The Things They Carried‬â€fits‬â€within‬ â€Postmodernism through its innovative use of‬ â€metafiction, blending reality and fiction to explore‬ â€memory and trauma. Its fragmented narrative highlights‬ â€the effects of war. By experimenting with narrative‬ â€techniques and thematic concerns, Postmodern‬ â€literature captures the fragmented and often‬â€ambiguous‬ â€nature of modern existence.‬