It is tough to come up with a definition of what American literature is. It is a product of the cultural diversity of people who live and write in the United States. However, not every literary work produced in the US can be included in this list.
Of course, American literature is predominantly in English. One of the early 21st century developments is an increase in authors who write in their language. However, they still can be considered American. As a result, African American, Asian American, and other ethnic branches of literature emerged.
Assigned to write an essay about American literature? In this article, our experts tried to simplify the task for you. We’ve described the periods of the United States literary tradition so you can navigate freely. Also, check a list of topics for your American literature essay. Finally, see some examples of the works written by other students.
Literature reflects society. It magnifies all the good and bad values, mirroring the life of the country and its development. In this section, we’ve described the main periods in US history. It will help you realize what to discuss in your essay on American literature.
The Colonial and The Early National Period (1607-1830)
The first European settlers started describing their experiences in the 1600s. The narration was practical, direct, and copied the British literary style. The earliest American literary works were mainly nonfictional. The first president of the Jamestown Colony wrote about his personal experiences and published them from 1608 till 1624. Such prominent writers as Nathaniel Ward and John Winthrop elaborated on the topic of religion. African American tradition started during that period, too. For instance, Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano created the first slave narratives.
The Period of American Renaissance (1830-1870)
Romanticism values a person’s emotions over reason. American writers embraced this movement at the beginning of the 19th century. For example, Edgar Allan Poe was one of the vivid examples of Romantic writers. In New England, several thinkers emerged too after 1830. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote essays, while Henry Thoreau wrote a story of his life. Poets such as Herman Melville and Walt Whitman began publishing their works at that time too.
The Realistic and Naturalist Period (1870-1914)
The Civil War fueled the realistic period in American literature. Mark Twain was one of the most notable writers of that era. In his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he depicted the actual Americans.
Naturalism is another literary movement that was prevalent at that time. For example, Theodore Dreiser embraced it. His novel Sister Carrie is an essential American naturalist novel.
The American Modernist Period (1914-1939)
The modernist period was one of the most fruitful in American history. It got intensified after the advancement in science and technology. The outcomes of WWI and the Great Depression caused a lot of contradiction. Thus, it found its way into art and literature. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Wright, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, T.S. Eliot, and many more writers became dominant voices.
The Contemporary Period (1939-Present)
The period has started after World War II. American literature during that time became more inclusive and had a variety of voices. Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison tell stories of race and sexuality. American contemporary novels had many forms, like postmodern and feminist ones.
21 Amazing Topics on American Literature
You may wonder what to write in your American literature essay. The abundance of writers and literary works make it difficult to choose. That’s why we combined several ideas. We hope you’ll find them useful in identifying the topic for your work. If not, you can let our title generator create a few original ideas on the subject.
But first, check these ideas for your essay on American literature:
Harriet Beecher’s art of persuasion as the author in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Naturalism and regionalism in American literary tradition.
The influence of Phillis Wheatley on American Literature.
What is American literature? What are its characteristics?
The themes of early American literature.
The importance of magical realism in American literature.
Oral storytelling techniques in Native American literature.
The influence of naturalism on American writers.
Early American literature and the power of religious ideologies.
The idea of masculinity in the colonial period in American literature.
The black experience manifested through African American poetry.
Historical factors that influenced the Romantic period of American literature.
How did Gothic literature in American tradition start?
Levels of literacy in African-American literature.
Native American mythology in American literature.
The issues of divorce and love in Latin American literature.
The evolution of the role of women in American literature.
The theme of perseverance in African American literature.
The topic of slavery in early American literature.
The significance of the American Renaissance for American literature.
The role of James Fennimore Cooper in enhancing nationalism.
Thank you for your attention! American literature is indeed a vast subject. We hope that this article will help you focus on a good idea. If you are still unsure what topic to choose, check our American literature essay samples below. You can look through them faster if you use our summarizer.
Due to the excessive focus on the role of white Americans in the liberation of African American slaves, the novel introduces a rather racist concept of an African American person.
Among the literature discussing of slavery as one of the blights on the history of the U.S., Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” takes an important yet controversial place.
First of all, the story plot of the book should be taken into consideration to understand what scientific facts may be put in requisition in it."Ender's Game" relates the story of a six-year Ender Wiggin [...]
On the day of the carnival Montresor goes looking for Fortunato and finds him a bit tipsy and it is then that he tells him of how he had acquired a rare kind of amontillado [...]
Thus, Ernest Hemingway makes extensive use of symbolism in order to convey nihilistic themes, because the main hero of The Sun Also Rises is a symbol of nihilism, the main heroine of The Sun Also [...]
In interpreting the book, the main area of discussion will be supporting the meanings of the work whereas in evaluating the book, the focus will be coming up with the literary merit of the book [...]
In addition, the author, through the title makes the reader infer that the characters' lives are enjoyable, which is not the case, revealing the unique objective of the author, that being optimistic does not mean [...]
An individual needs to understand that the word landscape does not only refer to having the knowledge of names and identity of everything in the landscape but also perceiving the relationship between different elements in [...]
The title is, in itself, ironic, for anthems have always meant to sing praises about grand things like love and patriotism, and so at first glance the poem seems to praise the damnation of the [...]
And Steinbeck offered his audience a clean view of the end when George made Lennie promise "to hide in the brush" if he gets in trouble again, as if it was an absolute fact to [...]
To illustrate, The Story of an Hour narrative is based on the supposed death of Brentley Mallard - the husband to Louise Mallard - thus reflecting a number of real life deaths that characterized Chopin's [...]
Since the purpose of this paper is to unveil the theme and the thesis Kosinski wanted to convey to the reader I am going to unearth the slightest details of the book's and movie's plot.
By the time of her death from cancer of the breast only 18 months after publication of this book, she had been awarded a freedom medal by the president and indeed a revolution to fight [...]
To illustrate, Rose and Ted disregard their parents' race-based objections to the couple's proposed marriage, thus depicting fate and wrong decisions jointly facilitating the characters' downfall.
Catherine is also undergoing a difficult time with the death of her fiance and the horrors of war. Catherine is pregnant and in need of a place to stay for the arrival of the baby.
The institution of slavery drove and shaped the enslaved people to respond and behave in different ways in that Fredrick Bailey was forced to flee away from slavery and later changed his name to Fredrick [...]
This essay seeks to investigate the History of Americans in the colonial era, the ways of life and the interrelationships between the colonial subjects and masters.
The African American are described to be living in distress and real poverty based on the description of the housing the environment and the lifestyle they lead.
However, the narrator's use of silence not only makes the audience take notice of her memoir but to presents the selfless nature that engenders the true identity of the characters.
The changes in Emily's life can be largely attributed to Emily's father and her perception of change. Emily's father is the only man in her life for the better part of her life.
Even though most Americans consider him a traitor, he is regarded as one of the greatest boxers in the world."Redemption Song" by Mark Marqusee is a book that describes the cost of the choices that [...]
All the events in the book are connected to the author herself and their entire family and those who happen to be born in poor backgrounds, whereby she is after informing the reader on the [...]
As the story turns out to be, Michael, who is the main character in the story is being brought out as one of those Irish men who had come to America in pursuit of wealth [...]
This is the technique that Jefferson uses in writing the Declaration of Independence. In using this technique Jefferson enumerates to illustrate the patience of an oppressed people.
From the story it is clearly indicated that, Evan was very disappointed with what Redmor treated the people of this area; and decided to take a ravage especially because his friend Hank was shot.
This piece of literary work is written at the period of the end of the civil war in America, and the south's era of greatness is coming to an end. This is a reflection of [...]
As a result of working continuously in the steamboat on someone's payroll, the author is astonished at his failure to appreciate the marvelous qualities of the great river since he was being desensitized to its [...]
The first accomplice-Rollie Wedge was the person who was funding the operation, the second knew the location of the office to be bombed, and the third was an explosive expert who had a knack for [...]
Tim Wise, one of the best speakers in the United States of America, says that even though the President states on the colorblindness society and he is sure that racism is combated and there is [...]
As it is one of her last composed poems, there are a lot of discussions surrounding the influences of her near imminent death on the sad melancholic tone of the poem and is it is [...]
These were people who had never moved to the city and had spent their lives in the village. They had starved and the family had had to stay for days without food.
The story presents a tale of the Wielands as a precautionary tale that is meant to cushion against taking hard stance in religious matters; Theodore Wieland's over-commitment to religion is presented in this book as [...]
Wallace's book is memorable and interesting; it brings out the picture of a child who uses his misfortunes as a stepping stone to acquire prosperity and success in his life.
Hitchcock's books and essays have been of great admiration by most of his readers throughout the years in America and all over the globe. His skills in presenting American culture and romance are quite admirable; [...]
However, in the novel the experience of Billy is more of a lesson that tries to teach readers against war through the manner in which Billy is seen to perceive war.
The neighbors who heard the scuffle that ensued and went to the ladies house gave evidence to the police, and in as much as most of them agree on a great extent to the events [...]
The main character by the name "Sister" who is a first-person narrator, gives the story of her side of the family spat which served to her to leave the home of the family in which [...]
This paper will discuss the four characteristics that define McDonaldization of society according to Ritzer the author of the book "McDonaldization of Society".
Yet, the worst was still laying ahead it is not only that Dorset had refused to pay ransom for the release of his son, but he himself demanded ransom from both kidnappers, in order to [...]
Since the beginning of his speech, David Foster Wallace indicates that the speech is going to be informal and tries to break the ice between the audience and himself by using such words as "bullshitty" [...]
The "discerning Eye" that sees through society's "Madness" is certainly the poet's and, implicitly, belongs to certain other naysayers as well."I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" articulates a state of consciousness that follows the [...]
As a critical appraisal to the stories, "Young Goodman Brown", Cask of Amontillados" and "The Yellow Paper" will be used to expound on the statement that people are born having their identities As the story [...]
According to Dawley in class in community, wrote of the tremendous changes in the life of the shoemaker 'S" as the shoemaking industry moved from a cottage industry to the factory system.
Therefore this paper will look at the American literature from the time of colonization by the Europeans, and how various events social and historical have shaped the American literature, making it unique among other literal [...]
It can be stated that at the ending of Huckleberry Finn, Huck, the protagonist is a failure because it does not provide any resolution to the major theme of the book that is the protagonist's [...]
The 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' by John Berendt is a very touching novel, which depicts a variety of personalities and characteristics in the great savanna region.
The poem portrays a vivid image of the emotional rollercoaster the author is experiencing as he visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial."Facing It" successfully incorporates the use symbolism and imagery throughout the structure of the poem [...]
Hem and Haw somehow did not notice that the supply of cheese was slowly dwindling, until one day, when they arrived at Station C, they found out that all the cheese was gone.
Looking at the morbidly Catholic state of mind that is the necessary reason sustaining the short stories of Flannery O'Connor, it is necessary to pay attention to the special techniques that compose her style of [...]
In the book, Bernays explains how he employed propaganda to manipulate the public when he was the head of the United States Department of public information during world war I.
The power that the people have on their rulers is minimal and this is one of the factors that have impeded the development of the values of self governance in this country.
The author considers the life chances of generations of Mexican-Americans, who remain after a near-century of legal freedom the most obvious and, in view of the very considerable number of Mexican-Americans political refugees in the [...]
However, it is this kind of utopian society that existed in Jerusalem that shaped the views that this author had. The story of the island of utopia is a satire on the complicated society that [...]
Being a cultural anthropologist, she played a vital role in the development of Obama in that he grew up appreciating the fact that he was different and at the same time having the belief that [...]
Before analyzing the works in terms of their belonging to Puritanism I believe it's important to identify the main characteristics of Puritan style and intentions and aims the authors put forward to transfer their message [...]
This implies that he had started valuing the presence of other people in his life and the aversions that he had towards his parents started to wither after realizing that he had to share his [...]
The main character of Hemingway's book The Old Man and the Sea is a person with great experience in life and in his work but he does not seem to be lucky; this is where [...]
She seems very happy in front of her friends. She appears very romantic when she reached her lover, and she also becomes very serious in front of others.
To the amazement of the boy, Sheila agrees to keep him company to the dance. The evening before the dance, this boy cleans his canoe that he plans to use to take them to the [...]
The agony and the ecstasy is the work of Irving Stone who is an American author. The cardinal instead fails to suggest a specific topic for his work and even after months of waiting for [...]
The book is a collection of experts of Alcott's writing, both non-fiction and fiction, that discloses the novelist's sincere commitment to the reforms introduced to America from the 1830s up to the 1880s.
Thousands of other people had also been affected by the test and they were all blaming the government of the US. Terry and her family had to bear the consequences of an irresponsible government.
The characters of the story are linked to the political scene of the mauve decade. The explanation was based on Baum's experience in the field of journalism before the publication of the wizard of OZ.
It is evident from these words that the actual intention was to emulate the philosophical concept of the time but the situation and the intention was completely materialistic in nature.
Rachel's quest to learn more about her sister's disability is one of the most compelling parts in the book. It was a brilliant idea for Rachel to accompany her sister on the buses because it [...]
For the writer, the concept of femininity means the expression of the ethical category; it is something elevated and sophisticated that so that it is always hard to tune up the strings of her soul.
To him, it sounded like the culture was just a way of enriching oneself, like in the case of Mars Dugal, and this could not deter him from exploiting the potential the land had.
However, there is no denying that human beings are not completely divine beings; there are animal instincts in us, like using the five senses to judge our environment and react to it; the desire to [...]
Rebecca is torn apart by her racial and religious issues; as she "stood where the three main currents of the eighteen-century black Atlantic world flowed together: the dramatic expansion of the slave trade; the Afro-Atlantic [...]
In what is a parallel to Marx's philosophy and attack on the exploitation of the workers by the capitalists; and therefore a call for a revolution, the farm animals are inspired by the counsel of [...]
The evidence from the plot of the book that supports the position taken on understanding the underlying factors of behavior is the realization that the bear had killed the goose due to the feelings of [...]
The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa is a powerful little book about arts. It is intentional of Kimmelman to make the reader trace the art to less promising circumstances a [...]
The topic chosen from the story for analyzing is 'To what extent is the protagonist of the story you have chosen responsible for the conflict or predicament he or she faces'.
It also help us study that we should be grateful for humble beginnings and in whatever we do we must do it to our best.we may go through hardships and at times life is intolerable [...]
Roth uses the "first person voice of the writer Nathan Zuckerman to tell the story of Coleman Silk, a black man who passes for a Jew ", a professor of classics and dean of faculty [...]
Moreover, as we go on and discover the meaning and objectives of pilgrimage, we will realize we are dealing with a different kind of art: the art of seeing what is sacred."What legendary travelers have [...]
The book under consideration in this paper, "Mountain Windsong: A novel of the trail of tears" by Robert Conley depicts the events of those times showing the tragedy of the Indian people of the Cherokee [...]
In order to discuss Hemingway's depiction of the American values and beliefs, it will be necessary to use three works: The Old Man and the Sea, a novella by Hemingway, "Papa's Ghost", an article by [...]
The economic conditions of the Great Depression and the failure of rains in 1929 created conditions where the lands devoid of protective grass became dry and dust whipped up by the winds obliterated towns in [...]
Positive attitude towards the challenges of life and the real joy found in the numerous adventures of the book's characters are the things that Elizabeth Enright wants every person to have, and in this paper [...]
The important literary device used to depict Holden confronting the pressure of the society and the corruption of the adult world is characterization, as the main character calls people he meets "phony" and refers to [...]
The Novel, Unpardonable Sin written by Hawthorne is a detailed criticism of the way of life of the Puritan. The various examples of Jesus in His dealing with those who commit sin is relevant as [...]
As a result of his boasting, a great deal of what his family knows about Willy is based upon the image he feels he must portray of himself in order to bring himself in line [...]
