Thus, prose predominates in American literature, especially short stories, novellas and novels.

American literature is rather young that is why it didn’t have many periods or stages, which were common for other literatures.

Main characteristics of American literature.

Literature

American literature

Lecture 4

Discworld

Now containing over forty books, the Discworld series is a humorous and often satirical fantasy work that uses the Discworld as an allegory for our every day life. The name "Discworld" comes from the fact that the world is described as being shaped like a large disk resting on the backs of four giant elephants supported by the enormous turtle Great A'Tuin, swimming its way through space. Major topics of parody have included many science fiction and fantasy characters, ideas and tropes, Ingmar Bergman films, Australia, film making, newspaper publishing, rock and roll music, religion, philosophy, Egyptian history, trade unions, university politics, and monarchy. Pratchett's novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents won the 2001 Carnegie Medal for best children's novel (awarded in 2002).

 

  1. Дудченко М.М. Література Великобританії і США. Навчальний посібник для студентів вищих навчальних закладів (англійською мовою). – 2-ге вид., доп. – Суми: ВТД «Університетська книга», 2006. – 445 с. – С. 379-432.
  2. Зарубежная литература ХХ века: Учебник для вузов/ Под ред. Л.Г. Андреева. – 2-е изд., испр. и доп. – М.: Высш. шк., 2003. – 559 с. – С. 490-518.
  3. Пронин В.А., Толкачев С.П. Современный литературный процесс за рубежом: Учебное пособие М.: Изд-во МГУП, 2000.- 168 с. On line at: www.hi-edu.ru/x-books/xbook026/01/part-006.htm
  4. VanSpanckeren Kathryn. Outline of American literature. – Chapters 7-10. - On line at: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/oaltoc.htm
  5. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_literature

 

This literature didn’t originate from folklore like many other national literatures: its beginning came from personal journals, religious writings and travel accounts of the first settlers, and its development was closely connected with development of journalism.

America is called “a melting pot of nations”, and it is true because American culture has been formed by accumulating and melting many cultures. It means that it is multicultural and heterogeneous by nature.

From the beginning, the Americans have examined and attempted to explain themselves in their literature, and the perplexing question “What is an American?” has never lost its interest either inside or outside the American boundaries. Thus, the problem of identity (national, cultural, class or sexual) is one of the main aspects of American literature.

European tradition of writing was, on the one hand, the ideal for many American writers, but, on the other hand, they always tried to reject it and create something new.

The majority of the first settlers were English that is why English became the main language of American literature. Among the immigrants the Puritans predominated. They were the religious people with strict moral rules such as necessity of hard work, honesty, thrift and absence of amusements. The Puritans followed many ideas of the Swiss reformer J. Calvin, who considered people to be basically evil. Their religious consciousness was rather symbolic that is why since their times symbolism has been playing a great role in American literature.

Such features of American literature as rhetoric, moral instruction and pragmatism are the results of the Puritanical influence. They are closely linked to the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment, when a young American state was formed. The ideals of democracy were the spiritual bases of the nation and its literature as well.

American literature has a unique combination of traditionalism and experimentation, pragmatism and romanticism. Dangerous life and beautiful nature influenced this literature even more than moralist principles, thus, romanticism became very important in American culture, and the romantic tradition has been the leading one in the USA.

A term “wilderness” is characteristic of American literature. It defines a wild natural environment that makes a person lonely and abandoned. Man and nature remain the main motifs for American literature too.