Changes in American Literature

A detailed Summary of Changes in American Literature


To Worship, To Reason, To Imagine

(American Literature)

Henry David Thoreau, not just a writer, but a spiritual interpreter to the world of literature once quoted, "Things do not change; we change." Appears short; yet so full of meaning, not just to his time, but for as long as time persists to exist. When the people of America change so does the literature. Literature cannot evolve on its own without the mind of experience. American literature is reflected upon the inspiration of new ideas and the contemporary condition in which our country sustained at the time. From The Civil war to the revolution that won us our independence as a nation, America was affected. These events, beliefs, and the way of life were all thought to have shaped America's philosophy in writing. Through Puritanism, Enlightenment, Realism, Romanticism, and Transcendentalism we find the changes and the connections of influence in the history of American literature.

Irene Peter, a well-deserved author quoted, "Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed." With this, we find the basis in which the


future of American literature thrives upon. Just because literature has changed over time doesn't mean we don't take with us the influence of the past. We still continue to find traces of Puritanism in America today. Puritan Literature focuses on Idealism and Gods role in the lives of the people. Transcendentalism is also a form of idealism, which may or may not have been influenced by the early Puritans of this country. The writings of the Puritans were used to educate youth for religious purposes until the time of Enlightenment, which stole the attention of America. It was a time based on "reason being mans central capacity" and that "man is by nature rational and good." This eventually brought the aspect of reality into play, known as Realism. As the eighteen hundreds progressed, a civil war broke out in America and literature began to expose the real. Writers like Mark Twain began capturing the present real life experiences of what America was going through without the use of Idealism and Romanticism.

The word Transcendentalism is defined as "the view that the basic truths of the universe lie beyond the knowledge we obtain from our senses." Emerson

Some common words found in the essay are:
Allen Poe, David Thoreau, Romanticism Transcendentalism, Idealism Gods, Irene Peter, America Nineteenth, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, american literature, Romanticism Enlightenment, Puritan Literature, enlightenment realism romanticism, enlightenment realism, civil war, romanticism transcendentalism, doesn't mean, realism romanticism, puritanism enlightenment, nineteenth century, puritanism enlightenment realism, realism romanticism transcendentalism, don't grow, irene peter,

Approximate Word count = 782
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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