Favorite Era of American Literature

[Onikeflava]

This is my first post on this forum and I hope it goes well. I am a great admirer of many writer's of the 20th century of American Literature. I often have a tough time narrowing down which era of literature I enjoy the most. But for the sake of this thread, I will go with:

1. Beatnik era
2. New Journalism era

How about you? It doesn't have to be restricted to the 20th century. Post away.

[JosphTheGodless]

Though not a strictly American era, I'd say Romanticism.

[Michael T]

The 1920's and 30's

[Pryderi Agni]

Well, maybe the era of the Neo-Realists (I think that's the term for them) like T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound.

[Mariamosis]

I love the mid to late 19th century in regards to all literature. You had Twain, Dickens, Zola, Verne, Dostoevsky, Hardy... it would be hard to top for myself.

I am a huge fan of Naturalism, Existentialism and Realism.

[hellsapoppin]

The Transcendentalist movement is tops for me. This both in literature and art as it studies mankind's relation with nature and one's role in life in this wide open universe. One is to look within for solutions to the difficulties one faces rather than to some divinity. Noncompliance, personal responsiblity, and individualism are to overtake the accepted norms. This had a great influence over the thoughts and writings of many thinkers of that era and over Tolstoy, the Lost Generation, Gandhi, Beatniks, and the Hippy movement. Many social reformers can trace the origin of their ideas to them.

Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, Parker, among others were Transcendentalists.

[soundofmusic]

You bring up an interesting point; I never thought of America, strictly on its own, as having eras in literature. I prefer the writers who were more influenced by Europe; While I did like Hawthorne, Steinbeck and Twain. I prefered Poe and
Fitzgerald; which I suppose keeps me in the 1800 to early 1900s. I wonder if any of the prolific writers of our time: King, Koontz, Angelou,Meyer, will be remembered in 100 years; what is your opinion?

[JBI]

"Modernism" - generally 1915-1945.

[kelby_lake]

I'll go for modernism too, though in particular I like the boom-and-bust era (1920-1930) and McCarthy era America- because they're both so American. American drama flourished between 1920 and 1960, and even after that you have some greats

[dfloyd]

were great years for American Literature. Hemingway and Fitzgerald are often mentioned on this forum, but what about Sinclair Lewis: Babbitt and Main Street are now classic works from this Nobel prize winner. John Dos Passos, John Steinbeck, Sherwood Anderson, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neil, and many others were from this era.

[Virgil]

I'm not sure I have a favorite period. I kind of like and dislike writers from each era. I guess modern might be more of my forte.

[Scheherazade]

Mostly 1910s and 1920s, I think... Though it is difficult to pick one. I just have a soft spot for certain writers from certain areas.

[Three Sparrows]

I like the 18th-19th century the most. Lots of classics produced in that time.
I have a question though, what would you consider a classic of the 21st century? Its been almost a decade in now.

[Onikeflava]

A lot of votes for the ex-patriot era. I love the modernism era as well.

[mayneverhave]

Modernism as well.

1922 = the greatest year in literature.

[hellsapoppin]

''I wonder if any of the prolific writers of our time: King, Koontz, Angelou,Meyer, will be remembered in 100 years; what is your opinion?''


Americans are prone to underestimate the quality and universal influence of our artists. We overlook the fact that Whitman is the second most widely read poet in the world (that is, second to Shakespeare), that Winslow Homer was more popular than were any of the Impressionists. That Gottschalk's classical music has always been matched favorably with Saint-Saens.

What's the most popular music form in the world today? Rock & Roll -- an American creation.

Every art form that originates in the USA always becomes even more popular overseas. And you can bet that this is what will continue to happen to all art forms as well. Therefore, those writers you mentioned will always remain equally popular overseas.

[CollegeGal09]

19th century poets era

[sixsmith]

''I wonder if any of the prolific writers of our time: King, Koontz, Angelou,Meyer, will be remembered in 100 years; what is your opinion?''


Americans are prone to underestimate the quality and universal influence of our artists. We overlook the fact that Whitman is the second most widely read poet in the world (that is, second to Shakespeare), that Winslow Homer was more popular than were any of the Impressionists. That Gottschalk's classical music has always been matched favorably with Saint-Saens.

What's the most popular music form in the world today? Rock & Roll -- an American creation.

Every art form that originates in the USA always becomes even more popular overseas. And you can bet that this is what will continue to happen to all art forms as well. Therefore, those writers you mentioned will always remain equally popular overseas.

Americans are prone to a lot of things. I'd hazard that underestimating the influence of their artists is not one of them.

[Dark Muse]

I would have to say Romanticism, later 1800's and 20th Centrury

[hellsapoppin]

''I'd hazard that underestimating the influence of their artists is not one of them. ''


We all see things our way. But when I was in college back in the near dark ages (that is about 40 years ago), this is a matter we discussed in class. We used examples such as those above in art, classical music, and in jazz. A Josephine Baker was unknown in her own country - yet, she was a super star overseas. As popular as Woody Allen is in the USA, he is far more popular overseas. Many, examples of artists such as these exist and have existed for over 100 years.

But what interests me the most is, how much great influence American artists had overseas. I believe Edgar Allen Poe was mentioned previously. Few Americans know he influenced poets in France, science fiction stories, and his detective Dupin influenced the work of Doyle whose Sherlock Holmes is the most popular fictional detective in the world today. This is true of other American artists as well as they are often held more popular and influential overseas than in the USA.