SectionIIAmericanLiteratureSecondEdition

AGeneralIntroductionAmericanliteratureasawholeisthewrittenorliteraryworkproducedintheareaoftheUnitedStatesanditsprecedingcolonies.WhiletheNewEnglandcolonieshaveoftenbeenregardedasthecenterpieceofearlyAmericanliterature,thefirstNorthAmericansettlementshadbeenfoundedelsewheremanyyearsearlier.SomeoftheearliestformsofAmericanliteraturewerepamphletsandwritingsextollingthebenefitsofthecoloniestobothaEuropeanandcolonistaudience.

Itwasinthelate18thandearly19thcenturythatthenation’sfirstnovelswerepublished.Thesefictionsweretoolengthytobeprintedasmanuscriptorpublicreading.Publisherstookachanceontheseworksinhopestheywouldbecomesteadysellersandneedtobereprinted.Thiswasagoodbetasliteracyratessoaredinthisperiodamongbothmenandwomen.TheRomanticPeriodcameinthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury.WiththeWarof1812andanincreasingdesiretoproduceuniquelyAmericanliteratureandculture,anumberofkeynewliteraryfiguresemerged,

perhapsmostprominentlyWashingtonIrving,JamesFenimoreCooper,andEdgarAllanPoe.Irving,oftenconsideredthefirstwritertodevelopauniqueAmericanstyle,wrotehumorousworks.In1832,Poebeganwritingshortstories—includingTheMasqueoftheRedDeath,ThePitandthePendulum,TheFalloftheHouseofUsher,andTheMurdersintheRueMorgue—thatexploredpreviouslyhiddenlevelsofhumanpsychologyandpushedtheboundariesoffictiontowardmysteryandfantasy.Cooper’sTheLeatherstockingTalesaboutNattyBumppowaspopularbothinthenewcountryandabroad.TheCivilWar(1861-1865)broughttheRomanticPeriodtoanend.TheAgeofRealismcameintoexistence.

Itexpressestheconcernforthecommonpeopleandthedisadvantaged.MarkTwainistherepresentativeofthisperiod.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,America