Three Phases of Literary Modernism, Modernism and the Victorians/ Transatlantic Modernism, High Phase of Literary Modernism – The Jazz Age (1920s), Literary Modernism, Langston Hughes (1902-1967) – high modernism, poems 1920s, Modern US-American Drama, Eugene O’Neill (1888-1963) modern U.S. Am. Drama (high modernism), The Gender of Modernism, Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), Political Advocacy in the 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), New Criticism, Jewish American Literature, America in the 1950s, Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), POSTMODERNISM, Thomas Pynchon (*1937), Effects of Feminism and Multiculturalism on US Am. Literature, Gloria Anzaldúa (1942-2004), Louise Erdrich (*1954), Feminism and US-Am. Literature in the late 20th century, Development of Literary Theory, Toni Morrison (*1931), Tony Kushner (*1956), Neo-Realism, South-Asian American writers, Jhumpa Lahiri (*1967), Jonathan Safran Foer (*1977)
Table of Contents
1. MODERNISM (ca. 1900-1950)
1.1 Historical Background
1.2 Three Phases of Literary Modernism
1.3 Modernism and the Victorians/ Transatlantic Modernism
1.4 High Phase of Literary Modernism – The Jazz Age (1920s)
1.5 Literary Modernism
1.6 Langston Hughes (1902-1967) – high modernism, poems 1920s
1.7 Modern US-American Drama
1.8 Eugene O’Neill (1888-1963) modern U.S. Am. Drama (high modernism)
1.9 The Gender of Modernism
1.10 Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)
1.11 Political Advocacy in the 1930s
1.12 Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)
1.13 New Criticism
1.14 Jewish American Literature
1.15 America in the 1950s
1.16 The Beat Generation
1.17 Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
2. POSTMODERNISM
2.1 The 1960s and 70s
2.2 Postmodernism/New Literary Theory
2.3 Thomas Pynchon (*1937)
2.4 Effects of Feminism and Multiculturalism on US Am. Literature
2.5 Gloria Anzaldúa (1942-2004)
2.6 Louise Erdrich (*1954)
2.7 Feminism and US-Am. Literature in the late 20th century
2.8 Development of Literary Theory
2.9 Toni Morrison (*1931)
2.10 Tony Kushner (*1956)
2.11 Neo-Realism
2.12 South-Asian American writers
2.13 Jhumpa Lahiri (*1967)
2.14 Jonathan Safran Foer (*1977)
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This text provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of American literature from the Modernist period (c. 1900–1950) through the Postmodern era and into the early 21st century. It examines how historical, social, and political transformations—such as the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and 9/11—have shaped literary movements, narrative techniques, and the inclusion of marginalized voices in the American canon.
- Evolution of literary movements: From Modernism and The Beat Generation to Postmodernism and Neo-Realism.
- Social and political contexts: The impact of consumer culture, war, systemic discrimination, and liberation movements on literature.
- Narrative innovation: Experiments with "stream of consciousness," "oceanic prose," metafiction, and visual writing techniques.
- Identity and multiculturalism: The rise of African American, Chicano, Native American, Jewish, and South-Asian American literary voices.
- The critique of the canon: How feminism and multiculturalism have restructured literary history and definitions of aesthetic value.
Excerpt from the Book
The Gender of Modernism
centrality of women as authors, editors and patrons (=wealthy women who supported artists because had few chances to get one of the rare scholarships)
modernist writing qualities that are associated with femininity: fragmentation, fluidity, discontinuity, irrationality
importance of subconscious
new constructions of sexuality women have sexual desires as well-> becomes more accepted
importance of consumption, but modernists ambivalent to mass/popular culture
1920: suffragette movement successful women=full citizens in terms of voting
Availability of contraceptives family size sinks, women can influence number and point of time when children born
New ways of moving and dressing allowed (bob-haircut, smoking in public, Charleston dance, use of cars, travelling, no more courgettes)
New household appliances help domestic household a bit
Visual image/look/body ideals become more important
“femme fatale” Vamp =fashion style
Very influential movie industry first silent movies, after 1920 talkies
Summary of Chapters
Modernism (ca. 1900-1950): Defines the historical background and the emergence of avant-garde and high modernism as a reaction to Victorianism and the impact of the World Wars.
Postmodernism: Analyzes the shift in the late 20th century towards formal experimentation, intertextuality, and the rise of marginalized literary voices in response to political and social changes.
Keywords
Modernism, Postmodernism, Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Age, Beat Generation, New Criticism, Narrative Technique, Identity Politics, Multiculturalism, Literary Canon, Feminism, Stream of Consciousness, Metafiction, Diaspora, 9/11 Trauma
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary scope of this work?
The text provides an analytical overview of American literary history, tracking the transition from Modernism to Postmodernism and the subsequent diversification of the American literary landscape.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
Core themes include the impact of historical trauma on narrative, the experimental nature of modernist and postmodern writing, and the shifting role of marginalized voices within the cultural and literary canon.
What is the primary goal of the analysis?
The text aims to illustrate how changing social dynamics—such as gender roles, race relations, and technological shifts—have forced literature to evolve in its form, structure, and content.
Which scientific methods are primarily utilized?
The text employs a historical-contextual analysis combined with literary theory, examining authors through the lens of their specific socio-political environments and their contributions to formal innovation.
What does the main body focus on?
The main body treats specific movements and influential figures, such as Langston Hughes, Eugene O'Neill, Gertrude Stein, Toni Morrison, and Jonathan Safran Foer, while contextualizing their works within broader intellectual movements.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Modernism, Postmodernism, Identity, Narrative Innovation, Multiculturalism, and Cultural Memory.
How does the "Beat Generation" utilize literature as a form of social resistance?
The Beat Generation used "oceanic prose" and free verse to rebel against 1950s conformity, commercialism, and conservative values, promoting spiritual exploration as an antidote to materialism.
Why is "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison considered a key text for discussing racial ambiguity?
Morrison deliberately removes explicit racial identifiers for her two protagonists, forcing the reader to confront their own internalized racial stereotypes and cultural coding.
How does Jonathan Safran Foer incorporate visual elements in his writing?
Foer uses "visual writing"—such as blank pages, overlapping text, and flip-book images—as essential tools to convey the emotional trauma and fragmented perception of the 9/11 tragedy.
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- Lea Lorena Jerns (Autor:in), 2013, American Literary History, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/277887
