Literary Movements in America

Prominent Literary Movements in American Literature
Name(s) of Literary Movements Approx. Dates

Native American Oral Tradition
Puritanism or Colonial 1620-1750
Revolutionary, Age of Reason, Enlightenment 1750-1800
Romanticism, Dark Romanticism, Anti-Transcendentalism, American Gothic 1800-1865
Transcendentalism 1840-1860
Realism 1865-1914
Naturalism 1885-1930
Regionalism 1865-1895
Modernism 1914-1945
Lost Generation, Jazz Age, Roaring 20s, the Harlem Renaissance 1917-1937
Beat Generation 1950-1965
Contemporary or Postmodernism 1939-Present
Native American (Before 1600)

Characterized by oral traditions, epic poems, creation myths, songs, and poetry. Native American literature
was well established long before European settlers arrived. Recently, authors like Sherman Alexie have
revived the tradition, with insightful stories about life on reservations.
Puritanism or Colonial (1620-1750)

Motivated by a desire to 'purify' the Church of England with the simple worship of God, Puritans left to
colonize the New World. As settlers, they recorded their experiences through diaries and historical accounts.
Revolutionary, Age of Reason, Enlightenment (1750-1800)

Consisting mostly of philosophers and scientists, Enlightenment writers sought to understand the world
around them through reason and deduction, rather than faith. Literature of this period was frequently
satirical and skeptical.
Romanticism, American Gothic (1800-1865)

This era valued feeling, intuition, and idealism. It placed faith in interior experience and imagination.
Individual freedom and worth were paramount, and poetry was seen as the highest expression of the mind.
The Dark Romantics, or American Gothic writers, combined these values with dark supernatural themes and
settings.
Transcendentalism (1840-1860)
Transcendentalists advocated self-reliance and individualism over authority and conformity to tradition,
believing institutions and organizations were responsible for corrupting the inherent goodness of people. In
their writing, transcendentalists commonly reflected on nature, a unified “divine spirit”, common to all
people, and community.
Realism, Naturalism & Regionalism (1865-1914)

As America suffered from growing pains, this movement was marked by feelings of disillusionment.
Familiar subjects included ghettos of rapidly growing cities, the Industrial Revolution, and corrupt
politicians. Authors focused on painting a realistic setting of everyday life and ordinary people, including
local color, while also seeking to explain human behavior.
Modernism (1914-1945)
Modernism began as an extension of realism, but made efforts to break with literary and poetic traditions.
Authors of this era were bold and experimental in style; an example of this being the “stream of
consciousness”. Commonly dealing with the struggles of individuals, modernist literature can seem bleak,
but is characterized by the optimistic belief that people can change the world around them.
Lost Generation, Jazz Age, Roaring 20s & The Harlem Renaissance (1917-1937)
Alongside modernism, African American culture in Harlem, New York was flourishing. Much of the style
derived from poetry rhythms based on spirituals, jazz lyrics on the blues, and the use of slang in everyday
diction. These influences intersected with prohibition, reactions to WWI, and the sultry nightlife of the big
city to produce an energetic progressive culture.
Beat Generation (1950-1965)

The Beat Generation was a small group of authors whose literature explored and influenced American
culture in the post-World War II era. The Beats were against the prudery of their parents’ generation and
promoted sex and sexuality as healthy topics of discussion. Beat hipsters defied modest America with their
hedonistic bohemianism and celebration of nonconforming creativity.
Contemporary/Postmodernism (1950-Present)
Literature since WWII has been heavily influenced by studies of media, language, and information
technology. It rejects the idea that anything is truly “unique”, proposing that culture endlessly duplicates
itself. Postmodern literature especially is marked by irony in the form of parody, unreliable narrators,
absurdity, self-awareness, and deconstruction. Postmodernist literature frequently reminds the audience that
they are reading a work of fiction or supply other “meta” commentary. New literary forms and techniques
focused on intense dialogue, blending fiction with nonfiction, and the overall appearance of the work.
Black Hawk
Native American Literature Prior to 1600
Sitting Bull
Anne Bradstreet
Puritanism or Colonial Literature 1620–1750
Cotton Mather
Revolutionary, Age of Reason, Enlightenment 1750–1800 Benjamin Franklin
Romanticism, Dark Romanticism, Anti- Edgar Allan Poe
1800–1865
Transcendentalism, American Gothic Nathaniel Hawthorne
Transcendentalism 1840–1860 Ralph Waldo Emerson
Realism 1865–1914 Mark Twain
Naturalism 1885–1930 Stephen Crane
Mark Twain
Regionalism 1865–1895
Kate Chopin
William Faulkner
Modernism 1914–1945
Gertrude Stein
Lost Generation, Jazz Age, Roaring 20s, the
1917–1937 F. Scott Fitzgerald
Harlem Renaissance
Jack Kerouac
Beat Generation 1950–1965 Allen Ginsberg
William S. Burroughs
Don DeLillo
Paul Auster
Contemporary or Postmodernism 1939–Present
Thomas Pynchon
William S. Burroughs

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Prominent Literary Movements in American Literature

Name(s) of Literary Movements Approx. Dates

Native American (Before 1600)

Puritanism or Colonial (1620-1750)

Revolutionary, Age of Reason, Enlightenment (1750-1800)

Romanticism, American Gothic (1800-1865)

Realism, Naturalism & Regionalism (1865-1914)

Beat Generation (1950-1965)

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