🏜️American Literature – 1860 to Present Unit 12 – Lit Responses to Tech & Cultural Change

Historical Context

• Rapid industrialization and urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries transformed American society
• Rise of mass production techniques (assembly line) and new technologies (electricity, automobiles) reshaped the economy and daily life
• Growth of cities and influx of immigrants from Europe and Asia led to cultural diversification and social tensions
• Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) marked by social and political reforms aimed at addressing issues of industrialization (labor rights, women's suffrage, prohibition)
• World War I (1914-1918) had a profound impact on American culture and literature, leading to disillusionment and questioning of traditional values
• Great Depression (1929-1939) caused widespread economic hardship and social upheaval, influencing literary themes and styles
• World War II (1939-1945) and the post-war period saw the rise of the United States as a global superpower and the emergence of new cultural movements (Beat Generation, Civil Rights Movement)

Key Literary Movements

• Realism (late 19th century) sought to depict life accurately and objectively, focusing on everyday experiences and social issues
  • Emphasized realistic characters, settings, and plots
  • Rejected romanticism and sentimentality in favor of a more honest portrayal of reality
• Naturalism (late 19th-early 20th century) built upon realism, emphasizing the role of determinism and the influence of heredity and environment on human behavior
  • Portrayed characters as products of their circumstances, often with a pessimistic or fatalistic outlook
• Modernism (early-mid 20th century) emerged as a response to the rapidly changing world and the fragmentation of traditional values
  • Experimented with new forms, techniques, and styles (stream of consciousness, fragmentation, allusion)
  • Explored themes of alienation, disillusionment, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world
• Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s) celebrated African American culture, art, and literature
  • Promoted racial pride, cultural identity, and social equality
  • Encompassed various styles and genres (poetry, fiction, essays, music)
• Postmodernism (mid-late 20th century) challenged traditional narratives and questioned the nature of reality and language
  • Emphasized irony, parody, and self-reflexivity
  • Blurred boundaries between high and low culture, fact and fiction

Major Authors and Works

• Mark Twain (1835-1910): Realist author known for his satirical and humorous works, including "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884) and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876)
• Henry James (1843-1916): Realist and psychological novelist, known for his complex characters and exploration of social and moral issues in works like "The Portrait of a Lady" (1881) and "The Turn of the Screw" (1898)
• Stephen Crane (1871-1900): Naturalist author and journalist, best known for his Civil War novel "The Red Badge of Courage" (1895) and his short story "The Open Boat" (1897)
• Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945): Naturalist novelist who portrayed the harsh realities of urban life and the struggles of the working class in works like "Sister Carrie" (1900) and "An American Tragedy" (1925)
• Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961): Modernist author known for his spare, minimalist style and themes of war, masculinity, and the "Lost Generation" in works like "The Sun Also Rises" (1926) and "A Farewell to Arms" (1929)
  • Influenced by his experiences as an ambulance driver in World War I and his travels as an expatriate in Europe
• F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940): Modernist novelist and short story writer who captured the Jazz Age and the disillusionment of the post-war era in works like "The Great Gatsby" (1925) and "Tender Is the Night" (1934)
• William Faulkner (1897-1962): Modernist author known for his complex, stream-of-consciousness style and his portrayal of the American South in works like "The Sound and the Fury" (1929) and "As I Lay Dying" (1930)
• Langston Hughes (1901-1967): Harlem Renaissance poet, novelist, and playwright who celebrated African American culture and advocated for social justice in works like "The Weary Blues" (1926) and "Montage of a Dream Deferred" (1951)

Technological Advancements

• Invention and widespread adoption of the telephone (1876) revolutionized communication and connected people across vast distances
• Development of the automobile (late 19th-early 20th century) transformed transportation, urban planning, and American culture
  • Mass production techniques (Ford Model T) made cars more affordable and accessible
  • Rise of suburbs, highway systems, and car culture
• Advent of motion pictures (late 19th century) and the growth of the film industry (early 20th century) created a new form of mass entertainment and cultural influence
  • Silent films (1900s-1920s) and the rise of Hollywood
  • Introduction of sound in movies (1920s) and the Golden Age of Hollywood (1930s-1940s)
• Expansion of radio broadcasting (1920s) provided a new medium for news, entertainment, and advertising
  • Emergence of popular radio shows and personalities
  • Impact on music, politics, and social trends
• Advancements in printing technology (linotype machine, offset printing) made books and newspapers more affordable and widely available
  • Growth of mass-market paperbacks and magazines
  • Increased literacy rates and access to information
• Development of new weapons and military technologies during World War I and World War II
  • Machine guns, tanks, aircraft, and chemical weapons in WWI
  • Atomic bomb, radar, and rocket technology in WWII

Cultural Shifts

• Women's suffrage movement (late 19th-early 20th century) fought for women's right to vote and gender equality
  • Ratification of the 19th Amendment (1920) granting women the right to vote
  • Changing roles and expectations for women in society and literature
• Great Migration (1916-1970) of African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North and West
  • Seeking economic opportunities and escaping racial discrimination and violence
  • Formation of African American communities and cultural movements (Harlem Renaissance)
• Prohibition (1920-1933) and the rise of organized crime and speakeasies
  • 18th Amendment (1920) banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol
  • Unintended consequences: bootlegging, corruption, and the growth of criminal organizations
• Consumerism and mass culture in the 1920s
  • Rise of advertising, credit, and installment buying
  • Proliferation of consumer goods and leisure activities (radio, movies, sports)
• Changing attitudes towards sexuality and morality
  • Flapper culture and the "New Woman" of the 1920s
  • Loosening of traditional social norms and increased sexual freedom
• Impact of the Great Depression on American society and culture
  • Widespread poverty, unemployment, and social unrest
  • Federal government intervention through the New Deal programs
  • Influence on literature, art, and popular culture (social realism, protest literature)
• Post-World War II economic boom and the rise of the middle class
  • GI Bill and the expansion of higher education
  • Suburbanization and the growth of consumer culture
  • Conformity and the "American Dream" in the 1950s

Themes and Motifs

• The American Dream and its disillusionment
  • Pursuit of wealth, success, and upward mobility
  • Critique of materialism and the hollowness of the American Dream (Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby")
• Alienation and the search for identity in the modern world
  • Characters struggling to find meaning and purpose in a rapidly changing society
  • Themes of isolation, disconnection, and the fragmentation of the self (Eliot's "The Waste Land")
• The impact of war and violence on individuals and society
  • Lost Generation writers exploring the psychological and social aftermath of World War I (Hemingway, Dos Passos)
  • Depiction of the horrors and absurdity of war (Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five")
• Race, identity, and the African American experience
  • Exploration of racial inequality, discrimination, and the struggle for civil rights
  • Celebration of African American culture and heritage (Hughes, Hurston, Wright)
• Gender roles and the changing status of women
  • Depiction of strong, independent female characters challenging traditional gender norms
  • Examination of the constraints and expectations placed on women in society (Chopin's "The Awakening")
• The relationship between nature and civilization
  • Tension between the natural world and the encroachment of industrialization and urbanization
  • Themes of environmental destruction and the loss of wilderness (Faulkner's "The Bear")
• The influence of technology on society and the individual
  • Both the positive and negative effects of technological advancements on human relationships and identity
  • Concerns about the dehumanizing aspects of technology (Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451")

Literary Techniques and Styles

• Stream of consciousness: A narrative technique that presents a character's thoughts, feelings, and impressions in a continuous, unstructured flow
  • Pioneered by modernist writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf
  • Reflects the fragmented and subjective nature of human consciousness (Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury")
• Imagism: A poetic movement that emphasized clear, concise language and precise visual imagery
  • Rejected sentimentality and abstraction in favor of direct, sensory descriptions
  • Associated with poets like Ezra Pound, H.D., and William Carlos Williams
• Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent abstract ideas, emotions, or concepts
  • Allows writers to convey complex themes and meanings through concrete images and objects
  • Prevalent in modernist literature (Fitzgerald's green light in "The Great Gatsby")
• Irony: A literary device that creates a discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between what is expected and what actually occurs
  • Used to highlight the absurdity, contradictions, or paradoxes of human existence
  • Central to postmodernist literature (Heller's "Catch-22")
• Fragmentation: The breaking up of traditional narrative structures and linear storytelling
  • Reflects the chaotic and disjointed nature of modern life and consciousness
  • Employed by modernist and postmodernist writers (Dos Passos' "U.S.A." trilogy)
• Intertextuality: The relationship between texts, often involving allusions, references, or quotations from other works
  • Creates a dialogue between texts and engages with literary tradition and cultural context
  • Prominent in postmodernist literature (Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49")
• Vernacular and dialect: The use of regional or cultural speech patterns and language in literature
  • Adds authenticity and local color to the portrayal of characters and settings
  • Significant in the works of realist and regionalist writers (Twain, Hurston)

Impact and Legacy

• Influence on subsequent literary movements and genres
  • Realism and naturalism's focus on social issues and determinism paved the way for social realism and proletarian literature in the 1930s
  • Modernist experimentation with form and style inspired later avant-garde movements (Beat Generation, Black Mountain poets)
  • Postmodernist techniques and themes continue to shape contemporary literature
• Contribution to the development of American cultural identity
  • Exploration of the unique experiences, landscapes, and values that define American society
  • Celebration of regional and cultural diversity (Southern Gothic, Harlem Renaissance)
  • Critique of the myths and contradictions of the American Dream
• Lasting impact on popular culture and media
  • Adaptation of literary works into films, television series, and stage productions
  • Influence on music, visual arts, and other forms of creative expression
  • Enduring characters, quotes, and symbols that have become part of the cultural lexicon (Gatsby, "Catch-22," the American Dream)
• Relevance to contemporary social, political, and cultural issues
  • Themes of race, gender, inequality, and the environment continue to resonate with modern readers
  • Provides historical context and insight into the roots of current challenges and debates
  • Offers a critical lens through which to examine and question dominant narratives and power structures
• Canonization and critical reception
  • Establishment of a body of works considered essential to American literature and taught in schools and universities
  • Ongoing scholarly analysis and interpretation of texts, reflecting changing critical approaches and cultural values
  • Debates over the inclusion or exclusion of certain authors and works in the literary canon
• Global influence and translation
  • Translation and dissemination of American literature to international audiences
  • Impact on writers and literary traditions in other countries
  • Role in shaping perceptions and understanding of American culture abroad