Despite the fact that American literature appeared much later than European and Asian literature, already in the second half of the 19th century, it gained worldwide recognition. Since then, many interesting authors have appeared in the United States, whose books are widely known and loved by readers of different countries.
Instructions
Step 1
Perhaps the first American writer who managed to gain worldwide fame was the poet and, at the same time, the founder of the detective genre, Edgar Allan Poe. A deep mystic by nature, Edgar Poe did not at all look like an American. Perhaps that is why his work, not finding followers in the writer's homeland, had a noticeable influence on European literature of the modern era.
Step 2
A large place in the literature of the United States is occupied by adventure novels, which are based on the history of the development of the continent and the relationship of the first settlers with the indigenous population. The largest representatives of this trend were James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote a lot and fascinatingly about the Indians and the clashes with them of American colonists, Mein Reed, in whose novels a love story and detective-adventure intrigue are masterly combined, and Jack London, who praised the courage and courage of the pioneers of the harsh lands of Canada and Alaska.
Step 3
One of the most remarkable American authors of the 19th century is the eminent satirist Mark Twain. His works such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "The Connecticut Yankees at the Court of King Arthur" are read with equal interest by both young and adult readers.
Step 4
Henry James lived in Europe for many years, but he has not ceased to be an American writer. In his novels "The Wings of the Dove", "The Golden Chalice" and others, the writer showed the naive and simple-minded Americans, who often fall prey to the intrigues of insidious Europeans.
Step 5
The work of Harriet Beecher-Stowe, whose anti-racist novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin", largely contributed to the liberation of blacks, stands apart in American literature of the 19th century.
Step 6
The first half of the 20th century could be called the Renaissance of American literature. At this time, such wonderful authors as Theodore Dreiser, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway create their works. Dreiser's first novel, Sister Carrie, whose heroine achieves success at the cost of losing her best human qualities, at first seemed immoral to many. American Tragedy, based on a crime story, has become the story of the collapse of the American Dream.
Step 7
The works of the king of the "jazz era" (a term coined by him) Francis Scott Fitzgerald are largely based on autobiographical motives. First of all, this refers to the magnificent novel Tender is the Night, where the writer told the story of his difficult and painful relationship with his wife Zelda. Fitzgerald showed the collapse of the "American Dream" in the famous novel "The Great Gatsby".
Step 8
A tough and courageous perception of reality distinguishes the work of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway. Among the most outstanding works of the writer are the novels "Farewell to Arms!", "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and the story "The Old Man and the Sea".
Step 9
The most famous American author of the second half of the 20th century was Jerome Salinger. His novel "The Catcher in the Rye", dedicated to the problems of growing up and the loss of childhood illusions, has become one of the most widely read books in the world.
Step 10
Speaking about the most famous and interesting American authors, one cannot but recall the names of two writers - Margaret Mitchell and Nell Harper Lee. Mitchell made her name famous with the creation of a single novel, Gone with the Wind, which takes place during the war between North and South. The main character Scarlett O'Hara has become a kind of symbol of perseverance and love of life.
Step 11
Harper Lee also rose to prominence for her only novel To Kill a Mockingbird, in which autobiographical motives were intertwined with fervent protests against racial discrimination. The novel invariably occupies one of the first lines in all kinds of lists of the best works of the 20th century.
