For this target, with ALL texts you will need to:

• Identify the text's and/or author's culture/bias/view and how it is perceived in the text

• Identify the values present in the text and patterns in how they play out

• Identify the social structures in the text and how they play out

• Identify the historical background and context of a text

• Identify any movements impacting the text OR movements the text is a part of

• Identify the theme/main idea/author's purpose (link goes to analysis page)

• Explain (Analyze) WHY/HOW the culture, society, and history surrounding the text support the theme/main idea/purpose

  • English 11 students will specifically explore the American Literary Eras.

Value Stems

In all texts, you learn about the society and their culture(s). Each society/culture may feel differently about each of the stems below. Look at the value stems below and look for support in the text to validate their beliefs on each of these.

For example, with the stem "honesty" I would consider the texts and society.

In "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," American culture usually indicates lying is bad because the boy who lies gets in trouble and looses credibility with the village.

The Odyssey, however, shows that Ancient Greek culture thought lying showed wit, boldness, and creativity. We know this because lying is what gets the hero, Odysseus, out of trouble in several situations. In fact, the opening lines indicate that he is famous for his intelligence and cunning.

Use the words below as seeds to get you thinking about how your text indicates a culture's belief on these ideas.

Find a value stem that is present in your text. Use this sentence to help you analyze it.

In (text title), (value stem) is OR is not valued by this society because (textual evidence and reasoning to support your claim).

What is Society?

Society is the group of people who live in the same area and may share culture. People can be part of the same society, but identify as separate sub-cultures.

For example: Everyone living in Virginia is part of Virginian society. The society in Virginia is composed of 69% white, 19% Black, 6% Asian, Less than 1% Native American or Hawaiian, and 3% other. American English is most predominantly spoken and the majority of Virginians are Christian (from Wikipedia 2017).

Society Influencing the Writer

Culture, society, and historical context can influence the writer. A good writer knows their audience and the society, culture, and historical context in which they live and uses it to their advantage. For example:

• Shakespeare set Romeo and Juliet in Italy even though he lived in England. He was critical of government and the church in the play which sparked dialogue. Many of the criticisms, however, could be associated with England. Choosing to set it in Italy may have been a way for him to criticize these things without getting in trouble.

• Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as an historical fiction piece about the Salem Witch Trials. He showed how fear overtook logic and the detriment that could cause. We know that he was accused Communism during the Red Scare and felt he and others were being unfairly attacked. He used the plot line to expose McCarthyism.

Literature Influencing Society

In addition, sometimes a work of literature can influence society. For example:

• When The Jungle came out exposing how disgusting the meat packing industry was, people were appalled. This lead to more investigations and eventually laws to regulate the conditions.

• Thomas Paine’s Common Sense is one of the best selling American titles and was one of the reasons so many people joined the revolution.

• Frederick Douglass writes in his autobiography The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, all about the horrors that he endured as a slave. This book was one of the influential pieces that encouraged the Abolitionist Movement.

Time Influences the Analysis of Literature

Some receptions of works of literature are influenced by the time period they were written in. For example:

• The Scarlet Letter was written over 100 years after the Salem Witch Trials and the fall of Puritanism, yet Nathaniel Hawthorne still chose to use this as a setting for his novel. Because he knew that his audience generally regarded the Puritans as extremists, he could assume that using this society would help his purpose without having to create a new one. He could rely on his audience’s bias to make the inferences he wanted them to.

• Another example is Their Eyes were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. When the novel was written, it was poorly received. However, it was rediscovered in the 1970s and is regarded now as a masterpiece.

• Other writers that were not important until after their death include: F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), Emily Dickinson (poet), Edgar Allen Poe (gothic writer), Herman Melville (Moby Dick), among others.

We know that society is constantly changing and growing. Some of that growth is natural, but some of it is pushed along by movements. These can also fall under historical background, but since they usually span a length of time, we sometimes forget about them. These movements have a lot of impact on literature.

For a list of movements, check out this page. You can click on each movement to see what they are about.

Don't forget about the effect of social media! Some of the most powerful movements were created and pushed through hashtags #languageispowerful.

Native American (Pre-Colonization)

Characteristics

• • Stories are myths (not factual)

  • Stories were told orally from generation to generation

  • Myths are about ordinary people (not heroes or Gods) who are usually not named- just simply labeled

  • Some spiritual being with divine power or that creates life is present

  • Animals are present and not named- one represents all- and they speak to one another to assist humans

  • Lessons are more important than the actual events

Native Americans find truth in…

• • Nature

  • Ancestors and legends

Genres

• • Myths

  • Legends

  • Folktales

Society & Culture

• • Man is naturally GOOD

  • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook (provided humans stay in balance with nature)

  • Native Americans believe that human society is created within the balance of nature

  • The only way for humans to survive is to respect nature

  • There is a symbiotic relationship between the two

Style

• • Because they were originally told orally, the myths are often written with:

    • Short, simple syntax

    • Simple and straightforward diction

  • This makes the myths easy to remember and pass down

Character Patterns

• • Native Americans typically don’t have heroes because they believe that no one man is better than another

  • Typically, the hero in a story is someone who lives in balance with nature

  • Archetypes present include:

    • Father Sky- creative deity who acts as a disciplinarian

    • Mother Earth- mother figure who either is or represents the earth and fertility

    • Adam- the first man created who learns how to live with nature

    • Eve- the first woman created and/or usually does something impulsive that gets her/humans in trouble

    • Trickster- not a malicious character, but one that plays pranks on others

Authors

• • None exist since myths were passed down orally

  • The myths we have written down were recorded by members or observers of the respective tribes

Colonial (1500-1750)

Characteristics

• • Explorers are in search of new lands and need money and resources to do it

  • Countries are in need of new land that will help them expand their territories and make more money

  • Explorers get sponsorship from specific countries and then write notes and journals about their travels to send back to the respective countries

  • Explorers write in such a way to make the lands they are exploring sound interesting so they continue to receive resources from the countries

Colonists find truth in…

• • Money and Fame

  • Exploration

Genres

• • Journals

  • Diaries

  • Letters

  • Notes

Society & Culture

• • Man is naturally GOOD

  • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

    • Fame and glory are attainable

  • Colonists don’t have much of a regard for nature other than what it can provide them

  • The goal is to found more societies to expand the countries

  • There is a parasitic relationship between the two

Style

• • Because they are written to impress, the journals are often written with

    • long, complex syntax

    • Intense and descriptive diction

  • This makes the journals interesting to read and gives the countries details about what they are investing in.

Character Patterns

• • Colonial heroes are the writers/explorers

  • The hero normally discovers something unique or shows his braveness in chaos

  • Archetypes present include:

    • THE QUEST—This motif describes the search for someone or some talisman which, when found and brought back, will restore fertility to a wasted land, or save the kingdom, planet, nation, etc. -- the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader’s illness and disability.

Authors

• • Christopher Columbus

  • Captain John Smith

Puritan (1630-1750)

Characteristics

• • • Puritans traveled to America in search of religious freedom- Puritans were being persecuted in Europe and were disgusted with how corrupt society was becoming

    • Puritans believe in predestination- that you are born going to Heaven or Hell- God hates most people

    • While no one knows who is on “God’s list” there are ways that they think they can tell who is:

      • The most pious

      • The most lucky and fortunate

    • When arriving here, Puritans segregated themselves from society and temptation to try and remain “pure”

    • Puritans have very strict rules to show their devotion to God

Puritans find truth in…

• • • God

    • Religion

    • Strict Living

Genres- Non Fiction

• • • Journals

    • Sermons

    • Religious Texts

    • Some poetry of religious nature

    • ABSOLUTELY NO FICTION/DRAMA

Society & Culture

• • • Man is naturally EVIL

    • Life has a PESSIMISTIC outlook

      • EVERYONE is going to Hell unless God has chosen otherwise

      • Nothing you can do will change his mind (Predestination)

    • Puritans don’t believe in the value of nature other than working their land for food and for what God provides

    • They hate society and feel that it is the main source of corruption.

    • They segregate themselves from cities and form their own “city on the hill” away from other people

Style

Because they are written for God and NOT for entertainment, the writing is often

• • • Short, simple syntax

    • A clear message with little to no figurative language (unless the figurative language is in reference to God)

    • Always supports a religious message

Character Patterns

• • Puritan heroes are the clergy and other extremely pious community members

  • The hero is close to God and in God’s favor from birth

  • Archetypes present include:

    • The Villain

    • The Scapegoat

    • Rugged Individualist

Authors

• • Jonathan Edwards

  • Ann Bradstreet

  • Edward Taylor

Rational (1750-1800)

Characteristics

• • • Rational Literature is persuasive (focused on gaining their Independence from England)

    • Rational Literature takes place during the Revolutionary Period- Often called Revolutionary Literature

    • The Colonists are sick of being “under the thumb” of a King

    • Colonists feel that men have that ability to think for themselves and with education, should be able to rule themselves

    • Colonists begin to embrace Science, Logic, and formal Education for all.

Rationalists find truth in…

• • • Logic

    • Education

    • Science

      1. They still believe in God

      2. God gave us the ability to think

      3. Science and religion work together

Genres

• • • Persuasive non-fiction

      1. Speeches

      2. Essays

      3. Pamphlets

      4. Letters

Society & Culture

• • • Man is naturally GOOD

    • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

      1. Through education, man is free and can achieve greatness

    • Society is an important aspect in Rationalism because through community, education thrives

    • They believe that everyone will naturally do the right thing and help each other

    • The closer together they stick, the stronger they are

    • Nature may not be considered

Style

• • • Because they are written to impress, the persuasion is often written with

      1. long, complex syntax

      2. Intense and descriptive diction

      3. Filled with rhetorical techniques

    • This makes the listeners/readers more likely to join the cause

Character Patterns

• • • Rational Heroes are the nation’s leaders

    • They are well educated and eloquent speakers. They are a model for what man can become.

    • Archetypes present include:

      1. Rebel

      2. Mentor-Pupil Relationship

Authors

• • • Patrick Henry

    • Benjamin Franklin

    • Thomas Jefferson

    • Thomas Paine

Romanticism (1800-1860)

Characteristics

• • Romantics are living in cities that are diseased and overcrowded

  • Poverty has taken over most people and many are starving

  • The people need to find an escape from their lives.

  • The people also can no longer afford to be educated, and therefore reject the principles of education and logic

  • The literature focuses on how nature and emotion guide people to truth.

Romantics find truth in…

• • Nature

  • Emotion/Instinct

  • The five I’s of Romanticism are:

    • Individuality

    • Intuition

    • Imagination

    • Idealism

    • Inspiration

Genres

• • Fiction

  • Poetry

Society & Culture

• • Man is naturally GOOD

  • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

  • Because society causes disease, they believe in running from society and toward the purity of nature

Style

• • Long, complex style

  • An abundance of figurative language and symbolism

  • Vivid and descriptive diction

  • Poetic structure is strict and follows traditional conventions

    • This allows American poets to compare more with European ones

Character Patterns

• • Romantic Heroes embody the principles that Romantics believe in

    • Young

    • Innocent

    • Lives (or wants to) in Nature

    • Good moral character

    • Follows instincts- not formal education/logic

Authors

• • Fireside Poets

    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    • Oliver Wendell Holmes

    • John Greenleaf Whittier

    • William Cullen Bryant

    • James Russell Lowell

  • Washington Irving

Dark Romanticism (1800-1860)

Characteristics

• • Branch of Romanticism

  • Dark Romantic authors focus on the negative emotions natural to humanity

  • Negative emotions get in your head and lead to obsession

  • Obsession leads to insanity

  • Head/Logic is a symbol for society- which leads to insanity.

Dark Romantics find truth in…

• • Negative Emotions

  • Isolation

Genres

• • Fiction

  • Poetry

Society & Culture

• • Man is naturally CONFLICTED (Debatable)

  • Life has an PESSIMISTIC (Debatable) outlook

  • Nature over society

  • Over-thinking leads to insanity

Style

• • Long, complex syntax

  • Descriptive Diction

  • Just like Romanticism

Character Patterns

• • There are not usually heroes

  • However, there are many archetypes that are present, usually dealing with a tortured soul

Authors

• • Edgar Allen Poe

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Herman Melville

Transcendentalism (1800-1860)

Characteristics

• • Belief that each person should follow their own path and leave society

  • Nature provides all truth and closeness to God

  • The government is the root of all problems

• Transcendentalists find truth in…

  • Nature

  • Self-Reliance/Individuality

• Genres

  • Non-Fiction Essays and Journals

• Society & Culture

  • Man is naturally GOOD

  • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

  • Nature over Society

  • Not just a dislike for society→ HATRED

• Style

  • Long, complex syntax

  • Descriptive diction

  • Same as Romanticism

• Character Patterns

  • Heroes

    • Anyone who leaves society

    • Anyone who lives in/with nature

    • Anyone who protests the government

  • Hippies

• Authors

  • Henry David Thoreau

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

Realism (1830-1900)

Characteristics

• • Society is falling still

  • This is the era of the Civil War

  • People are no longer interested in escaping

  • They are interested in “being real” and “telling it like it is”

  • There is no fluff, no symbolism, no emotion- flat

Realists find truth in…

• • Reality

  • Details

Genres

• • Non-Fiction

  • Fiction

  • Poetry

Society & Culture

• • Man is naturally GOOD

  • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

    • Freedom and the American Dream are attainable, but one must work and be the master of his own destiny

  • Society is bad now, but there is faith it will get better

  • Nature is not a large part of Realism

Style

• • Short, direct diction and syntax

  • Some descriptive language, but only to show detail → never for embellishment

Character Patterns

• • Heroes

    • Anyone who tells the truth

    • Anyone who becomes his own man and takes control

Authors

• • Frederick Douglass

  • Stephen Crane

  • Ambrose Bierce

  • John Steinbeck

  • Upton Sinclair

naturalism (1850-1900)

Characteristics

• • • Nature is powerful and merciless

    • This is the era of people moving west- many were dying

    • People were learning to respect nature and their natural instincts, but there was nothing beautiful about it.

    • Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution plays a big role in the birth of Naturalism

Naturalists find truth in…

• • • Respecting nature

    • Following their natural instincts

    • Reality

Genres

• • • Fiction

    • Non-Fiction

    • Poetry

Society & Culture

• • • Man is naturally GOOD (Debatable)

    • Life has a PESSIMISTIC outlook

    • Nature is much more powerful than society

    • It must be respected

    • Society makes you weak

Style

• • • Descriptive language

    • Short, direct syntax

    • Same as Realism

Character Patterns

• • • Heroes

      1. People who follow their instincts and understand nature

      2. People who understand their own limitations

      3. People who do not rely on others

Authors

• • • Jack London

    • Stephen Crane

regionalism (1850-1900)

Characteristics

• • • • There is still a belief in reality

      • There is an understanding that realities are different in each region

      • They aim to write “true” to their society within their region

      • Many landmarks, dialect, customs, archetypes are covered in the writing

Regionalists find truth in…

• • • • Reality

      • Understanding their own society

Genres

• • • • Fiction

      • Non-Fiction

      • Poetry

Society & Culture

• • • • Man is naturally GOOD

      • Life has an OPTIMISTIC outlook

      • Society is the most important thing to Regionalists

Style

• • • • The style reflects the preferred style of the region

Character Patterns

• • • • Heroes

        1. Anyone who is true to their society and exposes the truth

Authors

• • • • Mark Twain

      • Robert Frost

      • William Faulkner

      • Flannery O’Connor

Modernism (1900-WWII)

Characteristics

• • • • • This is during the time of WWI, the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, and WWII

        • Moderns no longer believe in the American dream (disillusionment)

        • Goes back to figurative writing with a lot of symbolism and imagery

        • Psychological Influences

        • Gender Equality Influences

        • Artistic influences

Modernists find truth in…

• • • • • Exposing the truth

        • The mind

        • European influences

        • Art

Genres

• • • • • all

Society & Culture

• • • • • Man is naturally EVIL

        • Life has a PESSIMISTIC outlook

          1. Life is going to end badly and people are corrupt anyway, SO might as well live it up now

        • Hate society

        • Nature doesn’t have a huge impact

Style

• • • • • Artistic- whatever helps the artist achieve purpose

        • Bold experimentation

        • A lot of imagery and symbols, especially among certain authors

Character Patterns

• • • • • Heroes

          1. Psychologists

          2. Rebels

          3. Artists

          4. Anyone who breaks the mold

          5. Modern Hero- someone who is flawed but can see right and wrong/ has a sense of morality

Authors

• • • • • Robert Frost

        • EE Cummings

        • Ezra Pound

        • William Carlos Williams

        • F. Scott Fitzgerald

        • William Faulkner

Harlem Renaissance (1918-1937)

Characteristics

• • • • • • Modern characteristics among minority art

          • This is the first time that minority art and culture is valued by the general public

          • Mostly Black and Hispanic authors, artists, and musicians.

          • Music and literature used the minority influence in cadence, dialect, and beat (Jazz/Blues)

Harlem Renaissance writers find truth in…

• • • • • • Art

          • Their culture

          • Exposing the flaws in the government that hold them back

Genres

• • • • • • All

Society & Culture

• • • • • • Man is naturally EVIL

          • Life has an OPTIMISTIC (Debatable) outlook

            1. Normally life has held minorities down, but here is their chance to express themselves and share their stories

          • Society is the source of evil, especially in America

          • Nature can, but does not always, provide much solace either

Style

• • • • • • Dialogue/dialect representative of the culture

          • Symbols and figurative language

          • Artistic expression

            1. New/bold experimentation with style

Character Patterns

• • • • • • Modern hero

          • People who refuse to conform to society and have pride in their culture

Authors

• • • • • • Langston Hughes

          • Claude McKay

          • Zora Neale Hurston