American Literary Periods

Characteristics and Historical Influences

Part One: American Literature in the Settlement Period

THE NEW WORLD

The New World 35,000-8,000 BC-

Mongolian tribes cross Bering Land Bridge-migrate into N & S America

Polynesian tribes cross Pacific on rafts-reach S. America

The Bering Sea

Native Americans Native Americans

had diverse and advanced cultures

Maya, Aztec, Toltec, Inca—all advanced cultures in C. and S. America

Most cultures did not have written languages

Cultures rich in myth and oral literature

Native American Oral Literature Oral tradition/oral

literature Oral Lit-passed

down by mouth Myths, chants,

prayers, stories, histories

Entertain, educate, pass on culture

Myths and Mythology Traditional stories

passed down Explain nature or

human nature Teach moral/religious

lessons Usually have gods

and goddesses Contain supernatural Old an modern Mythology-collected

myths or beliefs

First Contact Vikings land in

Newfoundland and Labrador

Viking deep-sea fisherman and explorers

First recorded contact-Leif Erikssen-c. 1000 AD

Marco Polo An explorer who

followed his father’s trade route

Route was overland to China

Brought back silk, spices, exotic goods

Opened up the West to the East

Wrote about his travels Made search for sea

trade route desirable

Christopher Columbus Set sail in 1492 Sailed west in hopes

of finding trade route to China and the East Indies

Landed on Hispaniola/Santo Domingo-1492

Made two other expeditions-found no gold

Reasons for Exploration of the New World Far East trade route Gold Claim land/subjects

for the king Adventure Jobs (ships, fishing) Fame and favor Fountain of

Youth/cure for diseases/Paradise

Reasons for Settlement of the New World

Gold Land-to claim for king

and for personal use Opportunity-work, food,

ownership Adventure Money-making Jobs Escape from religious

persecution Escape jail time Fame

St. Augustine (FL) 1565 First permanent

settlement in the US Spanish founded it Near site of “Fountain

of Youth” Colony and military

outpost Protected Spanish

gold shipments fr. C. & S. America from pirates

Jamestown (VA) 1607 First permanent

English settlement in US

Founded by the London Co.

Money-making venture

Captain John Smith/Pocahantas

Tobacco-cash crop

Plymouth (MA) 1620 Established by

Pilgrims (Puritans) Escape religious

persecution & cultural pollution in Europe & England

“City on a Hill” Example to the world

on how to live

Important Dates1492-Columbus

lands in NW1565-Spanish

estSt. Augustine

1585-Roanoke VA

“Lost Colony

1607-English est Jamestown

VA

1619-First African slaves

to US

1620-Puritans est Plymouth

MA

1630-Mass Bay Col-”Great Migration”3

1635-First public school in US in Boston

1636-Harvard Univ est in

Boston

1690-Slavery in all colonies

1692-Salem Witch Trials-20

die

1739-1745“Great

Awakening”

The Puritans One of many religious,

Protestant sects Wanted to “purify”the

Church of England Was the ruling party in

England after Reformation

Denounced after Restoration of monarchy

Persecuted under “Bloody Mary”/ James I

Puritan Beliefs Plainness Divine Mission Bible-based laws Grace “Original Sin” Physical purgation

of sin Education for all

Puritan Beliefs Public confession

of sin The “Elect” Puritan Work Ethic Devil Incarnate Cleanliness Democratic

government

Puritan Influence in America

Writing-Plain Style Work ethic Sense of morality Example to the

world Plainness-dress

and worship styles Democracy

The Wilderness Major influence on

life in colonies Forced colonists to

be inventive/creative

Lived closer to nature than Europeans

Room to grow/resources

Hard to govern-law and order

Differences Between Northern and Southern Settlement Styles

Northern• Poorer soil• Colder climate• Shorter growing

season• Largely Puritans• Small land

grants/small farms• Tight communities

built around a “commons” area

• Very interdependent

Southern• Better soil• Warmer climate• Longer growing

season-cash crops• Largely Church of Eng• Large land grants-

plantations-slave labor

• Widely dispersed settlements

• Very independent

Puritan Literature Plain style-simple

words in clear order(“smooth,clear, short) God-centered Spiritual

Autobiographies Poetry No plays or fiction

Pictures

The Age of Reason in America

The Revolutionary Period

Important Event and Dates 1739-1745—”Great Awakening”—

revival of Puritanism-George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards

1754-1763—French and Indian War 1765—Tax to pay for F and I War 1767—Townsend Acts—tax tea, glass,

lead, and paint imported to colonies 1770—Boston Massacre 1773—Boston Tea Party 1774—1st Continental Congress meets 1775—Battle of Lexington and Concord

start the Revolutionary War

Important Events and Dates (continued)

1775-1781—Revolutionary War 1776—Declaration of Independence signed 1781—Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown;

Articles of Confederation establish our first government

1783—Treaty of Paris 1787—Signing of the Constitution 1789—Washington elected 1st president 1791—Bill of Rights ratified (Madison) 1790—Eli Whitney invents interchangeable

parts 1793—Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin 1800—Washington, DC

The Enlightenment Began in Europe Challenged the beliefs of the Age

of Faith Embraced concepts of Rationalism

Rationalism Belief that people

could arrive at truth using their abilities of reason and logic

Rejected the previous authority of the past, religious faith, or intuition

Faith vs. Rationalism Truth through

revelation from God Universe mysterious

and unpredictable Men born into sin After-life more

important than life on earth

God active in universe

Truth through reason and logic

Universe governed by fixed, predictable laws

Men basically good Life on earth more

important that after-life God-a divine,

indifferent beneficence

Rationalism in America Combined with

Puritan inventiveness

Combined with physical necessity

Combined with Puritan need for self-improvement

Deism A philosophy—not a

religion Belief that God

gave all men at all times power to discover universe/truth

Universe orderly & good

Mankind-good and perfectible

Like a clock… Deists believed

that God created the universe like a clock

He wound it up and let it go, with little need for His intervention

Given reason and logic, man would figure out answers

Important Dates of the Age of Reason in America 1739-1745-”Great

Awakening” 1754-1763-French and

Indian War 1765-Stamp Act 1769-Intolerable Acts 1770-Boston Massacre

(Crispus Attucks 1st killed)

1773-Boston Tea Party 1775-First shots of

American Rev-Battles of Lex and Concord

July 4, 1776-Dec of Independence

1775-1783-American Revolution

1781-Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown

More Important Dates 1781-1788-Articles of

Confederation 1789-George

Washington is 1st president

1789-US Constitution ratified

1790-Eli Whitney invents interchangeable parts

1792-NY Stock Exchange organized

1793-Whitney invents cotton gin

1800-DC named capitol-Lib of Congress

Basic Tenets of the Age of Reason People arrive at truth using their own powers of

thought and reason. God created and loves the universe, but does not

interfere a lot with its workings. God created laws of nature that we can discover

using observation and logic. People are good and perfectible People worship God best by doing good for others. Human history moves naturally toward perfection.

The “New American”

Immigrant or child of immigrant

Leaves behind old prejudices and manners

Reinvents himself “Melting Pot” of

races

Literature of the Enlightenment More non-fiction than fiction or poetry Expository or persuasive in a nature Most had a definitive viewpoint High use of language and logic Importance of documents indicated

by language and form Emphasis on clarity, reason, logic,

and evidence for assumptions

Benjamin Franklin: “The First American A model for a man of the Enlightenment Lived the American Dream—rags to riches Born in Boston—made his fortune in Philadelphia, PA Printer, writer, scientist, statesman, humorist,

philanthropist, inventor First Post Master General Founded Univ of Penn Invented bifocals and Franklin Stove Helped write Dec of Ind and Constitution Studied electricity, ocean currents, weather, etc. Improved sewage and street lighting First public library in America

Types of Literature Common during the Enlightenment Formal Documents

The Declaration of Independence The Constitution

Pamphlets Common Sense

Speeches “The Speech in the Virginia Convention”

Essays The Crisis # 1

A Heritage of Explanation, Logic and Persuasion Found in writers since that time

Thoreau Emerson Kennedy King, Jr. Roosevelt Reagan

American Romanticism

The Awakening of a Nation

Important Dates 1803-Louisiana Purchase 1804-1806-Lewis and Clark Expedition 1808-Importation of slaves prohibited 1812-1814-War of 1812 1819-Spain cedes FL to US 1820-Missouri Compromise 1823-Monroe Doctrine 1825-Erie Canal opened 1828-B & O Railroad 1830-Indian Removal Act 1836-Texas wins independence from Mexico

Important Dates

1840s-first mass migration to the American West

1844-Telegraph 1846-1848-Mexican-American War 1848-1st Women’s Rights Convention 1848-Gold discovered in CA 1849-California Gold Rush 1857-Dred Scot decision

The Romantic Movement

What was the Romantic movement? A literary and artistic change in

thought and style A reaction against the order and

tradition of Neo-Classicism An opportunity for new American

writers and artists to develop the new American style

The Seeds of Romantic Thought Began in Europe and then spread to

America Took ideas from Rationalist beliefs

in freedom and the rights of the individual

Important people in Romantic movement: Kant, Goethe, Schlagel, Rosseau, Wordsworth, Coleridge

The Influence of Romantic Thought

How long did this movement last? Roughly 100 years Began in the late eighteenth century Lasted throughout most of the

nineteenth century

Influences on Romantic Thought

Nature The untamed wildernesses of the world The beauty of the natural world

The Past The Classical past-ancient Greece and Rome The Medieval past

The Imagination Emotions Intuition Creativity

Imagination: Romantic Escapism Rejected the rigors of reality Fascinated with the supernatural world

Disliked realistic portrayals Loved folklore and fantasy

Rejected the manmade Embraced the natural world

Romanticism in America: INSPIRED BY…

Discovery of the unspoiled beauty of the Western Frontier

“Noble savages”—the Indians American beliefs in individual rights

and democracy Reform needs in America—women’s

rights, slavery, and education

Causes of the Romantic Movement in America Nationalism

Lewis and Clark Expedition War of 1812

Discovery and Exploration Napoleon Bonaparte The New World

Natural Rights “God-given rights” Slavery The French Revolution

Nationalism Romantic theory spawned in America by

intense feelings of nationalism among some of the populace

NATIONALISM IS AN INTENSE INTEREST IN ONE’S COUNTRY AND/OR HERITAGE

American nationalism resulted largely from The Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Expedition War of 1812

Elements of Romanticism intuition, imagination, and emotion better

than logic and reason Creativity (poetry, art, etc.) superior to

science Study of the natural world yields Truth and

Wisdom Distrust of civilization and industry Valued the past and the supernatural Nobility of the savage Freedom and individual rights

The Journey “Quest” form taken from Medieval

Romances of Europe Movement away from civilization Physical and emotional journey “Escape” and encounters with the

supernaturalJOURNEY STRUCTURE WAS A

FRAMEWORK FOR THE ROMANTIC EXPERIENCE.

Romantic “Journeys”

Into the past, the supernatural, and to exotic places

Into the contemplation of nature’s beauty and mystery

ALL ROADS LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF HIGHER TRUTH AND ULTIMATE BEAUTY

Gothic Romance

Roots in French and German lit Took place in exotic and isolated

locales Involved the supernatural Dark and disturbing toneS and moodS Source of the early psychological

stories Best Gothic Romance writer:

Edgar Allan Poe

The American Novel

Began … during the Romantic period As imitations of European novels

andauthors Using American settings, but

European plots, characters, and style Broke away to use uniquely American

settings, characters, and plots

James Fennimore Cooper

Created the first, truly “American” novel

Invented the “American Hero” type Chronicled life in a “geography of

the imagination”—the American Western Frontier

Was the first novelist to define the American writing style

The American Hero Is young, or possesses youthful qualities Innocent and pure of purpose Inner sense of honor based on higher

principles Has knowledge of people and life based on

deep intuition and understanding Loves nature—hates towns and cities Resists domestication Quests for a higher truth in the natural

world

American Romantic Poetry

Used established, traditional poetic forms

Mimicked European forms Used American settings and stories “Family” poetry very popular “Fireside Poets” wrote family poetry

for fireside reading First uniquely American poetry yet to

be created

Transcendentalism Outgrowth of Romanticism Proposed by Ralph Waldo Emerson AND

Henry David Thoreau Based on Christian and Hindu religions

and Romantic theory Philosophy that

ONE MUST GO BEYOND (OR TRANSCEND) THE FIVE SENSES TO FIND

REALITY

Transcendentalists Believed

In God, the Oversoul, the “Universal Being”

Everywhere, everything, all knowledge

No evil—just perspective That God could be seen most easily

and purely in natureEMERSON AND THOREAU

Anti-transcendentalists

Believed in the existence of evil Believed in original sin

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE AND

HERMAN MELVILLE

American Romantic Authors

Washington Irving William Cullen Bryant Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Oliver Wendell Holmes Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Edgar Allan Poe Herman Melville

REFORM MOVEMENTS OF THEROMANTIC PERIOD

Reform Movements: Education

Education Needed to educate immigrants to vote Needed teachers in the West Salaries too low for men Women took these jobs English promoted as the national

language Small towns on the Frontier could build

schools and hire teachers from the East

Women’s Rights Women became teachers—were better

educated More colleges for women opened First Women’s Rights Conference in

Saratoga, NY in 1848 Sought suffrage and rights to own

property Did not get vote in US until 1920 Some states did allow women to vote

before then Some educated women became

staunch abolitionists/Harriet Beecher Stowe

Reform Movements: Slavery Eli Whitney/cotton gin/ Slave economy in the South 1808/Importation of slaves prohibited Abolitionists sought the eradication of slavery

immediately and completely South saw this as an infringement on States’

Rights N. needed S.’s raw goods for factories S. sought to sell goods overseas 1859/ John Brown/Harper’s Ferry Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Important Dates 1803-Louisiana Purchase 1804-1806-Lewis and Clark Expedition 1808-Importation of slaves prohibited 1812-1814-War of 1812 1819-Spain cedes FL to US 1820-Missouri Compromise 1823-Monroe Doctrine 1825-Erie Canal opened 1828-B & O Railroad 1830-Indian Removal Act 1836-Texas wins independence from Mexico

Important Dates

1840s-first mass migration to the American West

1844-Telegraph 1846-1848-Mexican-American War 1848-1st Women’s Rights Convention 1848-Gold discovered in CA 1849-California Gold Rush 1857-Dred Scot decision

American Realism

1860-1914

Definition of Realism

A movement in art and literature that attempts/ed to portray life as it really is/was.

Historical Background The Civil War:

1860-1865 Also called:

The War Between the States The Southern Rebellion The War of Northern Aggression

The violence and carnage of the War brought an end to the idealistic optimism that characterized the earlier part of the century.

The Rise of Realism

Realism -“very minute fidelity (truthfulness)” to common and ordinary lives of people

Realism-firmly entrenched in Europe before popular in US

Regionalism

Regionalism is literature based a limited geographical location -tried to reproduce accurately the speech, mores and manners of that region.

Writers began to write about the places they knew. This became known as Local Color.

Regionalism Regionalist writers

tried to be realistic in their depictions of an area’s speech patterns, mores, and manners.

However, regionalist writers were often quite unrealistic and sentimental about their characters.

Local Color Regionalist writers used LOCAL COLOR

to create their works LOCAL COLOR -description of places,

people, speech, or manners unique to a particular place and time.

DIALECT-a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or inhabitants of a particular area

Magic Realism Was the beginning of Realism as a

movement Mixed the fantastic with the very

realistic Had psychological elements People loved it-blended the two

styles together Still popular today

Impressionism An outgrowth of realism was Impressionism,

a movement in art and literature of the late 1900s that advocated artists and writers’ recording personal experiences or impressions of the world, rather than simply an extremely realistic view.

Impressionists saw their views of the world more real than the standard realists because their views saw into the minds of artists and writers.

Psychological Fiction The fiction of the mind Began a movement that became

“stream of consciousness” writing Still highly used today in writing Began in this period, but was

perfected later Began with “magic realism”

Inventions of the 19th Century 1800-Volta invents the battery/ Jacquard loom 1804 Gas lighting and steam powered engine 1810-tin can 1814-first photograph and steam locomotive 1819-soda fountain and stethoscope 1824-first toy balloon/ cement/ electromagnet 1827-matches and microphone 1829-typewriter and braille 1830-sewing machine 1831-steam turbine and a crop reaper 1834-refrigerator 1835-calculator

More Inventions of the 1900s 1836-first revolver (Colt) 1837-telegraph and Morse Code/ postage stamp 1839-vulcanized rubber/daguerreotype

photography/bicycle/platform scales/H-fuel cell 1840-1845-rubber tire/new sewing

machine/grain elevator/stapler 1846-1849-dental

chair/anesthesia/antiseptic/safety pin 1850-1855-airship/glider/Singer sewing

machine/fiber optics/ rayon

Historical Influences Civil War-1860-1865-Union forces won Emancipation Proclamation-1862-Freed the slaves in the South Southern Reconstruction-1865-1880-Presidential and Congressional Westward Expansion/Manifest Destiny-1840s—1914 Alaska purchased from Russia-1867 Edison and electric light-1876 A. G. Bell and telephone-1879 Alaskan Gold Rush-1896 Spanish-American War-1898-US gained the Philippines, Cuba,

Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain Panama Canal-1906 Henry Ford’s Model T-1915 Sinking of the Titanic, April 1912 World War I-1914-1918 (US entered in 1917):

US, Britain, France, Russia VS. Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire

American Authors of the Realist Period Mark Twain Frederick Douglas Stephen Crane Jack London Willa Cather Edwin Arlington Robinson Edgar Lee Masters Edna St. Vincent Millay Katherine Anne Porter

Modernism in America

1914-1939

What was Modernism? A movement in art and literature

of the early to mid 20th century

Modernism Defined Modernism-was a movement in art,

music, and literature that was dominant in the first half of the 20th century in Europe and America.

Modernism-was a reaction to the horrors of WWI. It manifested itself in fiction and art with bold, experimental styles and techniques.

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES 1905-Einstein’s Theory of Relativity 1906-Yellowstone is first National Park 1912-Sinking of the Titanic 1913-Modern Art is introduced to US in

NYC 1914-World War I breaks out in Europe

with the assassination of Austria’s Prince Ferdinand by Serbian nationalists

1914-The Panama Canal opens 1915-Henry Ford revolutionizes the auto

industry with mass production lines

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES 1917-US enters WWI 1917-Russian Revolution ends the

Tsarist rule in Russia-Communism begins

1918-Prohibition begins 1920-The Harlem Renaissance begins 1920-19th Amendment is ratified giving

women the right to vote 1922-The Jazz Age begins 1927-Lindbergh flies solo across the

Atlantic

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES 1929-Stock Market Crash 1930s-The Great Depression 1933-FDR elected-proposes the

“New Deal” and Soc Sec legislation 1933-Hitler comes to power in

Germany 1939-Franco’s nationalist forces win

Spanish Civil War 1939-WWII begins in Europe with

Germany’s invasion of Poland

World War I

WWI was supposed to be the “War to End All Wars” or “The Great War”

Supposed to be a war of moral imperatives—defending the freedom of threatened nations

Instead--bloodbath of epic proportions, trench warfare in France and Belgium over small portions of contested ground

1st truly mechanized war-tanks, machine guns, jeeps, planes and bombs

Advent of chemical weapons WWI led to “Geneva Convention”-- sought

to establish rules for “fair warfare”

“The Lost Generation” Term coined by the writer Gertrude Stein Referred to the disillusioned and

alienated soldiers who returned from WWI with terrible memories from the battlefield.

They felt disconnected from the America they had left and its strict moral values, and unfamiliar with the America they came home to.

Many became “expatriates,” preferring to live in France rather than the US

The Expatriates Produced some of the most

profound American literature to date Lived largely on the Left Bank of

Seine River in Paris Included Ernest Hemingway,

Sherwood Anderson, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald

The “Jazz Age” Was a time when ladies’ skirts

were shortened and their hair bobbed

Wild dancing and parties Looser social mores and values Women, given the vote, now felt

freer to express themselves and claim their independence

The “Jazz Age” Also known as “The Roaring ’20s” Named so by the writer F. Scott

Fitzgerald, who chronicled the decade from 1920-1929 in his works

Named after the music, jazz, one of the only authentically American forms of music

Themes in Modernist Fiction Modernism in fiction focused on several

themes: Disillusionment with the American Dream A fear of automation and the advances of

science as these conflicted with traditional religious beliefs

Alienation-resulting from the WWI soldiers returning home to an unfamiliar world

A loosening of moral and societal values A new awareness of ethnic, especially black,

literature and music A need to be “completely new” and different

American Authors of the Modernist Period Sherwood

Anderson Ernest Hemingway F. Scott Fitzgerald William Faulkner John Steinbeck James Thurber Eudora Welty

Ezra Pound T. S. Eliot William Carlos

Williams Robert Frost Carl Sandburg e.e. cummings

The Harlem Renaissance A movement in art and literature of the

early 1920s that emphasized the life and culture of the Negro in American society

White patrons encouraged and supported black performers, artists, and writers

Jazz and the Blues were the musical styles of choice

As Langston Hughes wrote, “the Negro was in vogue”

American Writers of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes James Weldon Johnson W.E.B. Dubois Frances Harper Countee Cullen Zora Neale Hurston James Baldwin Richard Wright

Contemporary Literature

From 1939-Present Day

HISTORICAL INFLUENCES 1939-1945-World War II 1941-Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor-US enters

the war 1942-Hitler begins implementation of the

“Final Solution” 1944-Allied forces land in Normandy to

liberate European countries from Nazi control

1945-May, Hitler commits suicide-war in Europe ends

1945-August, US uses first nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders ending WWII

1945-United Nations established

WWII

The Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan

The Allied Powers US Great Britain Russia

Causes of WWII: Japan Japanese Imperialism-believed that they were

a superior Asian race destined to rule all other Asian races

Believed their emperor was a god Japanese society—high sense of honor Needed oil from the Middle East Attacked Mainland China and the island

nations of of the Pacific Very barbaric attacks on the Chinese people Western nations tried to help

US Entry into WWII Came about after Japan bombed

Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 2300 people were killed that day Most of our navy was destroyed The next day we declared war on

Japan and Germany

US Influence in the War Huge economic and industrial

power Women went to work in munitions

and supply factories Huge influx of manpower with the

US draft Victory in WWII cemented our place

as world power

Causes of WWII: Italy Mussolini-dictator of Italy Wanted to be on the “winning side” Believed that Italy/Rome must

conquer Europe once more Wanted to revive the Roman Empire Allied with Hitler to do so

Causes of WWII: Adolph Hitler Hitler blamed the Jews and other “impure”

races for Germany’s troubles after WWI Sought to rid Europe, and eventually the

world, of Jewry Sought to breed “super-race” of pure

Aryans to run the world Made pact with Italy and Japan, but

planned to overtake and “purify” them, too, after he conquered the world

Saw the US as an abomination, because of our mixed races of people

Hitler’s Vision Hitler blamed the Jews and other “impure”

races for Germany’s troubles after WWII He sought to rid Europe, and eventually

the world, of Jewry He sought to breed a “super-race” of pure

Aryans to run the world He made a pact with Italy and Japan, but

planned to overtake and “purify” them, too, when he conquered the world

He saw the US as an abomination, because of our mixed races of people

•Journal/WOD/SAT Prep/DOL•Read aloud: from “Nature,” (Emerson), old lit text pp. 219•Notes: Synopsis of Lit Periods, slides 63-74 (Romanticism to Realism)Assign: 25 Notes on pp.201-209 (HW)

The Holocaust In 1942, Hitler implemented the “Final Solution,”

a plan to rid Europe of Jewry He implemented a series of laws taking away all

civil rights of Jews and other undesirables in Germany and its conquered territories

Heinrich Himmler was in charge of “Final Solution”

Concentration (work) camps were set up across Eastern Europe

Ghettos were set up in cities Death camps were built to exterminate the Jews 6.5 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust 7 million others were also murdered

The End of WWII: Italy and North Africa North Africa and Italy were

liberated first from Axis control

Mussolini ran with his mistress, was caught, shot, and hanged in the marketplace

End of WWII: Europe D-Day-1944 Allied troops invaded the

beaches of Normandy, France to liberate Europe

Russian troops moved east as Britain, US, Australia, and others moved west across Europe

Hitler committed suicide in Berlin as Russian troops closed in on the city in April of 1945

Germany surrendered in May

End of WWII: Japan The first atomic bomb was created at Los

Alamos, NM US decided to use it on Japan, who refused to

surrender The first A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima,

Japan in August of 1945 The second-three days later on Nagasaki, Japan 71,000 people were killed immediately Over 100,000 died within three months Japan surrendered almost immediately

The Aftermath of WW Germany, Japan, and Italy decimated Borders indefinite and disputed Under the Marshall Plan, Europe was divided

and rebuilt by the remaining world powers—Great Britain, US, Russia

Russia refused to allow its rebuilt areas to govern themselves

Russia claimed them as part of their Soviet Union of Socialist Republics

Made those nations live under communist rule

Communism After WWII, China embraced

Communism as its form of govt. The USSR and China wanted to spread

communist govt. across the globe USSR controlled Poland,

Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Albania, half of Germany, and many other countries under communist rule

Communism China sought to make the entire East Asian

continent communist Supported communist rebels in Korea Started the Korean Conflict/1950-1953 Western nations sent help to fight the

insurrgent communist troops Settled by dividing Korea into communist N.

Korea and democratic S. Korea

Communism China also supported communist

rebels in Viet Nam Western nations again fought the

spread of communism in VN 1964-1974 America withdrew under terms of a

“peace with honor” S. Viet Nam fell to the communists

Historical Influences 1947-India gains

independence from British rule

1948-State of Israel established out of occupied Palestine

1949-Mao Zedong and his communist forces take over China

1950-53-Korean Conflict

1962-Cuban Missile Crisis

1963-Assassination of JFK

1964-1974-Viet Nam War

1979-Personal computer

1980-War in Grenada

1992-Bosnia Conflict

The Sixties: The Generation of Peace and Love With the advent of rock and roll in the fifties

and sixties, society changed Protests concerning the VN War, the draft, civil

rights (race), women’s rights, and the sexual revolution pervaded college campuses

“Don’t trust anyone over 30!” Young people disdained materialism-became

very idealistic Wanted to save the earth, mankind, society,

animals, values, etc. Very “Back to the Land”

The Summer of Love Young people, “Hippies,” dropped out

of “the establishment” and went west Centered in the Haight-Ashbury

district of San Francisco Culminated in the summer of 1967 Characterized by avant garde music

and art, experimentation with drugs and sexual practices

The “Me” Generation 1970s-1980s Reaction against the idealism of the

’60s Self-satisfaction became center-

stage Upwardly mobile “Yuppies” More people moving into the middle

class

The Fall of the Soviet Union SU invaded Afghanistan in 1980s Fought a futile and expensive war to overtake

the country Withdrew in late 1980s Overspent in Arms Race with the US Russian economy in shambles Led to the fall of communism in Russia in 1989 Soviet Union broke up into separate nations Most nations rejected communism as form of

govt.

The Rise of the Middle East The nation of Israel est. 1948 in what

was German-controlled Palestine Arab nations refused to recognize Israel Much of the ME controlled by Western

powers Mid-’70s, Shah of Iran overthrown—

country taken over by Islamic radicals-take hostages at the US embassy

The Gulf War Saddam Hussein-dictator of Iraq Not an Islamic fundamentalist Cruel and inhumane Attacked Kuwait, a US ally, to gain a seaport to

export oil Claimed historic rights US invaded in January of 1991 to liberate

Kuwait Won the war in 6 weeks Hussein retained power

Islamic Fundamentalism After SU withdrew, Islamic fundamentalist

created a theocratic govt. Strict laws and cruel punishments Osama bin Laden declared war on the US Led to WTC bombings US declared War on Terror and invaded

Afghanistan Liberated A. from the Taliban-still there

fighting

The Iraq War US invaded Iraq in 2003 Easy victory over Saddam’s troops Purpose was to find and destroy WMD No WMD found Saddam Hussein overthrown, captured, tried

by new Iraqi govt., and hanged Rival tribes and religious factions cause

sectarian violence-civil war US still fighting there

Age of Technology, Information, and Communication

Invention of the personal computer in 1979 changes the world

Begins the Age of Technology Cell phone in early ‘80s Internet becomes the most common

form of accessing info Changes writing styles, communication

styles, political campaigns, education, etc.

Themes in Contemporary Literature Resurgence of Romanticism Science Fiction The “end of days” Civil Rights Sexual Revolution Confessional Self-actualization Effects of technology on people Religious differences

Forms of Contemporary Literature:

Non-fiction: Self-help/Political books/ Romances/Plantation novels/historical

novels Crime novels/True crime Horror fiction Biographies/autobiographies Experimental forms/Science fiction Growth of Trade Paperbacks Internet publishing