(keep in mind that these years are estimates; it is difficult to pin down exactly when a

“movement” begins and ends)

Mythology and The OdysseyThe Odyssey is considered to be one of the

greatest works of literature to be written, this is an epic poem attributed to the blind poet Homer. Written as a sequel to the Iliad, The Odyssey tells of the long journey by the Greek hero Odysseus.

Epic Poetry – a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to culture and nation.

Shakespeare -

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…”

Our examination of the pervasive themes of light, time, and destiny in William Shakespeare's beloved tales of "star-cross'd lovers” in Romeo and Juliet and power and corruption in Julius Caesar.

Romanticism (1825-1865)

Promotes individuality, self-expression, and freedom.

Imagination over rational thought (science, philosophy, etc.)

Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne- The Scarlet Letter; James F. Cooper- The Last of the Mohicans, William Wordsworth- poetry, Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Dark Romanticism/Gothic(sub genre of Romanticism)

This type of literature included terror, fantasy, madness, and supernatural elements.

Characters were both good and evil.Like Romanticism- promoted the

individual.Made famous by Edgar Allen Poe,

“The Raven”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” etc.

Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights

Transcendentalism (1835-1860)

Promoted unity between nature and God; the presence of God in every individual.

Believed that the divine truths could only be found by trusting our intuition- not science or reason.

Again - promoted individuality and that humans could perfect themselves

• Ralph Waldo Emerson - “Nature”• Henry David Thoreau – Walden• Walt Whitman

Impressionism (1860s)

Originated in Europe, side-by-side with the art movement

Impressionist literature- when an author focuses a story on a character’s impressions, feelings, and emotions- describes them and does not try to interpret or judge them.

Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf and many others

Represent the world in an objective manner Described typical, everyday experiences, as opposed to

fantastic and exotic.People and events are presented in an unembellished, non-

idealized way.

They tell it like it is. Mark Twain- Huckleberry FinnJoseph Kirkland- The Chicago Fire

(1890-1945)Associated with Realism, many authors overlapWriters who believed that religion, politics, and

society were no longer enough.This feeling grew after WWI- many thought the world

was chaotic and full of despair.These authors saw literature as being very important

to the modern world and took their work seriously.Experimentation in art and literature- for example,

the stream-of-consciousness technique.Authors- “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner;

“Daisy Miller” by Henry James

Associated with Modernism but had an emphasis on how economic and social forces drive human behavior.

This was the influence of Social Darwinism and Marxist theories.

Authors try to be scientifically objective and detached from their characters

Free will is an illusion!Naturalism is Anti-Romantic: human beings do

not have any control over their fate.Authors- John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men;

Jack London - Call of the Wild, John Steinbeck - The Pearl.

(1893-1914)

(1920-1930)

Another branch off of ModernismThe phrase describes a disillusioned or “lost”

post-WWI generation.Literature is characterized by lost values and a

sense of futility and despair.The term was coined by Gertrude Stein, who was

a friend of Hemingway and Fitzgerald.Erich Maria Remarque - All Quiet on the

Western Front, Ernest Hemingway – The Old Man and the Sea

Harlem Renaissance (1923-1935)First major movement of African American

literatureMainly involved a group of writers and

intellectuals associated with Harlem.Emphasis on “a new pride in a racial identity and

heritage”Writing infused with a new “sense of self-respect

and self-dependence”Authors- Langston Hughes- “I, Too, Sing

America” “Harlem” & “A Dream Deferred”; Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston

Existentialism(1930s-?)

Philosophical movement- very hard to define.Believed we have to look inward to

create meaning, not at the world around us.Concerned with existence and the

“meaning of life”Disbelief in God and religionJean-Paul Sarte – “The Wall”Friedrich Nietzsche

Post Modernism (1945-Current)

Literature characterized by a discontinuity of tone, point of view, style, etc.

Purposeful use of literary devices and language- especially allusions, metaphors, and symbols.

Serious themes with comic overtones.Amy Tan- The Joy Luck Club, Earnest

Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest J. Gaines - A Lesson Before Dying, Harper Lee -To Kill A Mockingbird, John Knowle - A Separate Peace, Yann Mortel - Life of Pi…and many more!

The Beat Generation(1955-1964)

Attacked what they saw as consumerism, materialism, conformity, and militarism of the 1950s.

Believed in individual freedom and spontaneityWere politically and

religiously “radical”Allen Ginsburg- poetryLorraine Hansberry – A Raisin

In the Sun (The Civil Rights Era)

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past.That setting is usually real and drawn from history,

and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional.

Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time(s).

Girl With The Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Marie Remarque