This summer I have undergone a reading phase unlike every before in my life. As a writing enthusiast I've always enjoyed books and reading, yet would consider myself a very light reader at best. Sure I've dabbled in some classics and zipped thru the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books just like anyone else, however there have been long periods of non-reading in between. Last summer I discovered the wonder of audiobooks which heightened my appreciation of literature. However despite a newfound appreciation for classic literature that summer, I concluded that the audio book format was just not as special as the handheld experience. And thus my reading appreciation once again took a backseat to movies, television, the smartphone, and games. That was all until this very unique summer of 2020.
I can say without question that this recent immersion into books is a result of having more free time due to being unemployed. However it is also a product of the great historical inspiration I have experienced from my obsession with the Assassin Creed video games. While in the past I've usually gravitated towards European history and culture, this summer I averted to Colonial American history. This was due to the three major AC games I have played this summer in succession all set in the Americas (ACIV, AC Rogue, and ACIII). Thus the bulk of my reading this summer has pertained to colonial settings and the American Revolution.
So quite naturally this summer I began taking inventory of my book collection and searching for something relating to the colonial age. And then I discovered a book sitting on my shelves that I have often glanced at, yet rarely understood; the Norton Anthology of American Literature. This book was given to me by my aunt-in-law, Devon many years ago, and has gathered dust for some time now. However as I paged thru this massive 2500 page monster, I realized it was everything I was looking for. It was the bible of American literature, pertaining to the Colonial Age, the American Revolution, and the Antebellum era.
With this book I developed a plan this summer; I wanted to study the history of the colonial era yet also read the classics of the era. I've always enjoyed classic art (movies, music, books, etc) and figure there can be no better way to understand a historical setting than to read the writing of it's time. This book highlights a timeline of essential American literature from 1620-1850. Soon I found myself reading excerpts from the explorer John Smith himself, Mary Rowlandson's account of captivity during King Philips War, Cotton Mather's account of the Salem Witch Trial, Irving's short story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and so forth. It was as if I was reliving the history of the time, thru the words of those who lived thru it.
From the index of this book, I established the timeline yet also the key figures of American literature. All names that I am very familiar with, and have already written about last summer in my general study of American literature; see Classic American Literature). While the book offers many excerpts and full writings of notable classics, (which I've taken advantage of despite the very small text), it does not have them all. For example it only has excerpts of Common Sense by Thomas Paine, the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
From this book I came to understand that there is a specific period of literary boom, like a golden age of classic literature. It is often referred to as the American Renaissance of literature and ranges from the 1830s-1850s. This was slightly after the British influenced works of Irving and Cooper, in which a newly American style was introduced by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Emily Dickinson to name a few. It was an exciting time in American history, after the War of 1812, that brought an era of peace and of Good Feelings, that gave way to the birth of American art. In this post I would like to elaborate on the key figures of this Renaissance, the founders of American literature.
The Early Founders
By the time of the American Revolution, writing and publications had become quite widespread throughout the colonies. Consider in those days there was no television or radio, and books were the main source of entertainment (there was the also theater for the more wealthy). However prior to the American Renaissance of the 1830s most the significant writing in the new nation was political essays. It was Thomas Paine who became the first globally recognized American author for his political pamphlet of Common Sense in 1776. After him came other great political publications such the Autobiography of Ben Franklin, the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton.
However it was not until years later after the new government had been established, that America would begin to identify it's artistic culture. I believe it was after the War of 1812, that America entered a new phase of peace, unity, and prosperity. This period of James Monroe's presidency is often defined as the Era of Good Feelings (from 1817-1825). During this period some of the earliest art and literature began to emerge, most notably from George Washington Irving. His short stories began to define the new identity of American culture. However according to the literary critic, John Neal, Irving's work as well as other popular authors of the time, such as William Cullen Bryant and James Fenmore Cooper were still using British influence in their works. These authors established a great foundation for American short-stories, that inspired the Renaissance of American literature to come.
The Gothic and Romantics
I would say American literature took it's first deep dive into an identity with the published works of Edgar Allen Poe in the 1830s. Expanding from the earlier Gothic stories of Washington Irving and Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe established an entirely new style of melodrama, mystery, romance, and the macabre. He criticized the fireside poets for their lack of psychological depth as well as the transcendentalists for their misguided mystical optimism. (To be fair Edgar Allen Poe disliked about everyone). However aside from his unorthodox approach, Edgar Allen Poe established masterful works of poetry and short-stories.
I think it's fair to say Edgar Allen Poe influenced the later works of the great American writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Mellville, and Emily Dickinson. To be fair however each of these great authors also had their own unique style mixing elements of Gothic and Romanticism. I believe it was these 4 writers; Poe, Hawthorne, Mellville, and Dickinson who established America's literary identity and for that reason they are probably the most well known writers of the Renaissance age (alongside Harriet Beecher Stowe and Walt Whitman).
The Abolitionists
Many of the famous writers of the American Renaissance supported the cause of anti-slavery. This fervor was mostly prevalent among the New England based authors such as the Fireside Poets and the Transcendentalists. However aside from some poems, essays, and hymns the ideals of the abolitionists did not truly reach the masses until the published works of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The narrative of Frederick Douglas gave the first major public insight into the harsh life of an American slave. Furthermore Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin demonstrated an allegorical message, that emphasized the immoral injustices of slavery. Both of these popular books played a significant role in the cause of the Civil War and President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation in 1863.
So quite naturally this summer I began taking inventory of my book collection and searching for something relating to the colonial age. And then I discovered a book sitting on my shelves that I have often glanced at, yet rarely understood; the Norton Anthology of American Literature. This book was given to me by my aunt-in-law, Devon many years ago, and has gathered dust for some time now. However as I paged thru this massive 2500 page monster, I realized it was everything I was looking for. It was the bible of American literature, pertaining to the Colonial Age, the American Revolution, and the Antebellum era.
With this book I developed a plan this summer; I wanted to study the history of the colonial era yet also read the classics of the era. I've always enjoyed classic art (movies, music, books, etc) and figure there can be no better way to understand a historical setting than to read the writing of it's time. This book highlights a timeline of essential American literature from 1620-1850. Soon I found myself reading excerpts from the explorer John Smith himself, Mary Rowlandson's account of captivity during King Philips War, Cotton Mather's account of the Salem Witch Trial, Irving's short story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and so forth. It was as if I was reliving the history of the time, thru the words of those who lived thru it.
From the index of this book, I established the timeline yet also the key figures of American literature. All names that I am very familiar with, and have already written about last summer in my general study of American literature; see Classic American Literature). While the book offers many excerpts and full writings of notable classics, (which I've taken advantage of despite the very small text), it does not have them all. For example it only has excerpts of Common Sense by Thomas Paine, the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.From this book I came to understand that there is a specific period of literary boom, like a golden age of classic literature. It is often referred to as the American Renaissance of literature and ranges from the 1830s-1850s. This was slightly after the British influenced works of Irving and Cooper, in which a newly American style was introduced by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Emily Dickinson to name a few. It was an exciting time in American history, after the War of 1812, that brought an era of peace and of Good Feelings, that gave way to the birth of American art. In this post I would like to elaborate on the key figures of this Renaissance, the founders of American literature.
The Early Founders
By the time of the American Revolution, writing and publications had become quite widespread throughout the colonies. Consider in those days there was no television or radio, and books were the main source of entertainment (there was the also theater for the more wealthy). However prior to the American Renaissance of the 1830s most the significant writing in the new nation was political essays. It was Thomas Paine who became the first globally recognized American author for his political pamphlet of Common Sense in 1776. After him came other great political publications such the Autobiography of Ben Franklin, the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton. However it was not until years later after the new government had been established, that America would begin to identify it's artistic culture. I believe it was after the War of 1812, that America entered a new phase of peace, unity, and prosperity. This period of James Monroe's presidency is often defined as the Era of Good Feelings (from 1817-1825). During this period some of the earliest art and literature began to emerge, most notably from George Washington Irving. His short stories began to define the new identity of American culture. However according to the literary critic, John Neal, Irving's work as well as other popular authors of the time, such as William Cullen Bryant and James Fenmore Cooper were still using British influence in their works. These authors established a great foundation for American short-stories, that inspired the Renaissance of American literature to come.
- George Washington Irving: He is no doubt the father of the American short-story and wrote two of America's most famous tales of Rip Van Winkle (1919) and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1920). Both these stories provided a unique fairy-tale quality to them, however he was no doubt influenced by the European style during his time living in England. His writing still went on to inspire other great American writers to come such as Edgar Allen Poe. There is hardly anyone to this day who is not familiar with the headless horseman from Sleepy Hollow, that has become an iconic American tale associated to Halloween.
- James Fenmore Cooper: He was America's first great historical-novelist most renown for his book, The Last of the Mohicans (1826). His stories demonstrated an insight into the Revolutionary War and America's frontier. His most popular novels were his 5 Leatherstocking Tales pertain to the settlers dealings with the Native Americas from 1740-1804. These consist of The Pioneers (1823), The Last of the Mohicans (1826), The Praire (1827), The Pathfinder (1840), and The Deerslayer (1841).
The Fireside Poets
Perhaps the earliest demonstration of America's new found voice came from the works of the very popular Fireside Poets. These poems were written in the standard format of the time consisting of stanzas, rhythmic flow, and rhyme. The five most iconic of these poets were all from New England; William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry Wadsforth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. They were referred to as the "Fireside Poets" because their published work became commonplace among the general public, recited at schools or at home by the fireplace. Ralph Waldo Emerson is also often associated with this group, however since he established his own philosophy I am categorizing him as a Transcendental Essayist.
- William Cullen Bryant: He was a journalist and editor of the New York Post, who later became one of the first of the Fireside Poets. His most famous poems include "Thanatopsis" (1817), a consideration of death, and "To a Waterfall" (1821). He wrote with a romantic, thoughtful, meditative, and subtle approach.
- John Greenleaf Whittier: He was a Quaker poet and an outspoken abolitionist from Massachussetts. He was influenced by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, who identified with the civil voice of his nation. His most famous works include "The Barefoot Boy" (1855) and "Maud Miller" (1856). Many of his poems later became popular hymns and songs.
- Henry Wadsforth Longfellow: Perhaps one of the most famous of the Fireside Poets, he was heavily influenced by European mythology and incorporated a new celebration of American legends for the public. He is best known for his epic poems pertaining to the Native Americans; Evangeline (1847) and The Song of Hiawatha (1855), as well as his very popular fireside poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" (1860).
- James Russell Lowell: By the 1840s Lowell had become a popular fireside poet, but his writing later took a heavier abolitionist and satirical town. Perhaps his most famous work was his humorist critique of other well known writers, A Fable for Critics (1848). For his political essays he later became a statesman and diplomat for the government from the 1870-1880s.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes: He was a very influential famous writer and polymath of the time, renown for his poetry yet also as a medical physician. He was very close with fellow Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsforth Longfellow. His most famous works include a poetic homage to the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides" (1830) and the Breakfast Table series (1858).
The Transcendentalists
Back in about 2011-2012 I began my first deep dive into classic American literature and really became inspired by the concept of Transcendentalism. This was an American philosophical movement that was born in the 1820s-1830s. It encouraged a new sense of individualism, self-reliance, intuition, appreciation of nature, spiritualism, and enlightenment. I myself have always been an independent person by nature, and I realized a while back that the transcendental philosophy was one I could truly relate to, and thus it has become my creed. I remember that summer I spent a while reading, writing, and studying the influential work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (see Transcendental Philosophy).
From a literary perspective, Ralph Waldo Emerson not only established a new philosophical ideal, yet also a new literary approach. Pulling away from the British "Fireside" format, Emerson began publishing new works of poetry and philosophical essays. His first claim to fame was his published work of Nature (1836) by which he used to established his new movement known as the Transcendental Club. This included other prominent writers of the time such as Margaret Fuller and later Henry David Thoreau. By the 1850s the philosophical movement began to fade away while spiritualism and the practice of mediums reached a new hysteria. However the philosophy of Emerson continued to influence other great thinkers and writers to come, such as the great poet, Walt Whitman.
Back in about 2011-2012 I began my first deep dive into classic American literature and really became inspired by the concept of Transcendentalism. This was an American philosophical movement that was born in the 1820s-1830s. It encouraged a new sense of individualism, self-reliance, intuition, appreciation of nature, spiritualism, and enlightenment. I myself have always been an independent person by nature, and I realized a while back that the transcendental philosophy was one I could truly relate to, and thus it has become my creed. I remember that summer I spent a while reading, writing, and studying the influential work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (see Transcendental Philosophy).
From a literary perspective, Ralph Waldo Emerson not only established a new philosophical ideal, yet also a new literary approach. Pulling away from the British "Fireside" format, Emerson began publishing new works of poetry and philosophical essays. His first claim to fame was his published work of Nature (1836) by which he used to established his new movement known as the Transcendental Club. This included other prominent writers of the time such as Margaret Fuller and later Henry David Thoreau. By the 1850s the philosophical movement began to fade away while spiritualism and the practice of mediums reached a new hysteria. However the philosophy of Emerson continued to influence other great thinkers and writers to come, such as the great poet, Walt Whitman.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson: He is considered the father of the transcendental movement inspired by the mysticism writings of Immanuel Kant and Emmanuel Swedenborg. He wrote various poems however his greatest claim to fame was thru his essays such as Nature (1836), Self-Reliance (1841), and the Over-Soul (1841). He influenced many other writers of the time such as Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Walt Whitman.
- Henry David Thoreau: He was an abolitionist and an environmentalist and helped establish the Transcendental philosophy with Ralph Waldo Emerson. His most famous essays included Civil Disobedience (1849) and Walden (1854). These books demonstrated Thoreau's ideals of anarchy, simple-living, environmentalism, and spirituality. His writings would go on to influence other notable revolutionists such as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.
- Margaret Fuller: She was a leading feminist of the time and a free-thinking individualist associated with the Transcendental Club. Her writings mostly consist of journalist essays and critiques demonstrating feminist and transcendental ideals. Her most famous works include Summer on the Lakes (1843), where she shared her mystical/transcendental ideals, and Women in the Nineteenth Century (1845), the first published feminist book.
- Walt Whitman: Regarded among the greatest of American poets (along with Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe) he began his poetic works in the 1830s. Much thanks to the praise and ideals of Emerson, Walt Whitman established a unique fusion of transcendentalism with realism. Often described as a humanist and a free-spirit, his work embodied the national spirit of America. His magnum opus, Leaves of Grass was a collection of his poems published in 1855, which he continued to revise with new additions later in his life. Some of his most famous poems include, "O Captain! My Captain!" (1865) and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" (1865) which is an elegy to President Abraham Lincoln.
I would say American literature took it's first deep dive into an identity with the published works of Edgar Allen Poe in the 1830s. Expanding from the earlier Gothic stories of Washington Irving and Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe established an entirely new style of melodrama, mystery, romance, and the macabre. He criticized the fireside poets for their lack of psychological depth as well as the transcendentalists for their misguided mystical optimism. (To be fair Edgar Allen Poe disliked about everyone). However aside from his unorthodox approach, Edgar Allen Poe established masterful works of poetry and short-stories.I think it's fair to say Edgar Allen Poe influenced the later works of the great American writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Mellville, and Emily Dickinson. To be fair however each of these great authors also had their own unique style mixing elements of Gothic and Romanticism. I believe it was these 4 writers; Poe, Hawthorne, Mellville, and Dickinson who established America's literary identity and for that reason they are probably the most well known writers of the Renaissance age (alongside Harriet Beecher Stowe and Walt Whitman).
- Edgar Allen Poe: He is one of America's most iconic writers, considered the father of the macabre/Gothic genre. He was influenced by the works of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and Irving's Sleepy Hollow (1820), in which he established his own original style of Gothic poetry and short-stories. He is often renown for his odd behavior due to depression, alcohol, and insanity and died at the young age of 40. He is best known for his poem The Raven (1845), as well as other short stories such as The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), The Black Cat (1843), and The Cask of Amontillado (1846). His work went on to influence many other Gothic and mystery writers most notably the author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne: Having been born in the city of Salem, Massachusetts it's no wonder Hawthorne developed a unique style of story-telling, growing up in an area full of mysterious history. Hawthorne's original style was an infusion of history, romance, and the darker elements of Gothic. His most famous works include Twice-Told Tales (1837), The Scarlett Letter (1850), and The House of the Seven Gables (1851). To this day his masterpiece of The Scarlett Letter is considered among the all-time greatest works of literature.
- Herman Mellville: He did not acheive great fame during his life such as Edgar Allen Poe, Emerson, or Hawthorne however his work of Moby Dick would later grow to become regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. He incorporated a unique fusion of romanticism, tall-tales, adventurism, with Gothic elements. Most of his best known novels pertained to nautical fictions such as Typee (1846), Mardi (1849), Redburn (1849), White Jacket (1850), and Moby Dick (1851).
- Emily Dickinson: Perhaps one of the greatest poets and female writers of all time, she did not acheive hardly any recognition during her lifetime. She was born in 1830, and lived a reclusive life in Massachusetts. She was greatly inspired by the works of Jane Austen and began her poetic writing in the 1850s until her death in 1886. Known as the mysterious woman-in-white she did not receive any fame for her work, until it was published after her death in 1890. Her collection of some 1800 poems demonstrated a truly original style dealing with themes of death, immortality, nature, love, and spirituality.
The Humorists
Since the prehistoric age of story-telling there have been various genres of literature. The ancient Greek playwrights were often broken up into two categories; tragedies or comedies. This branching of literary style certainly carried on thru history, utilized by Shakespeare and many other famous writers of the Renaissance. I thus would break up the golden age of American literature into 4 categories; political essays, romantic drama, Gothic fiction, and humorist satire. This next section pertains to the lesser known yet still very influential humorist writers of the American Renaissance. Although these writers were perhaps not as famous as the others, they did go on to influence one of America's most iconic authors, Mark Twain.
- George Washington Harris: Perhaps one of the most iconic of the southern humorists, Harris worked for the local Tennessee newspapers publishing many political satires, tall-tales, and short-stories. His earliest work was published in the Knoxville Argus in 1840 and the Spirit of the Times in 1843. Perhaps his most iconic character was Sut Lovingood, a southern frontiersman who specialized in tall-tales. Harris' satirical countryside humor was a major influence to the great Mark Twain.
- Thomas Bangs Thorpe: Yet another very popular southern Antebllum humorist during the 1840s. He also published satirical writings for the New York Spirit of the Times weekly publication. His most famous work consisted of the Big Bear of Arkansas (1841), and his anti-slavery novel, The Master's House (1854).
- Johnson Jones Hooper: He worked as a newspaper editor in Alabama during the 1830s-1840s, and published many satirical short stories. His greatest claim to fame was the Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs (1845), which later went on to influence some of Mark Twain's country characters. Unlike most famous abolitionist writers of the time, it should be noted that Johnson J Hooper supported the southern confederate cause.
Many of the famous writers of the American Renaissance supported the cause of anti-slavery. This fervor was mostly prevalent among the New England based authors such as the Fireside Poets and the Transcendentalists. However aside from some poems, essays, and hymns the ideals of the abolitionists did not truly reach the masses until the published works of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The narrative of Frederick Douglas gave the first major public insight into the harsh life of an American slave. Furthermore Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin demonstrated an allegorical message, that emphasized the immoral injustices of slavery. Both of these popular books played a significant role in the cause of the Civil War and President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation in 1863.
- Frederick Douglas: After escaping from slavery, Douglas went on to become a very prominent writer, activist, and statesman. His greatest claim to fame was his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, American Slave (1845), and My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). Thru these writings, Douglas became a prominent social reformer, activists, suffragist, and later a statesmen for President Benjamin Harrison in 1889.
- Harriet Beecher Stowe: One of the most iconic authors of the American renaissance her extremely popular work of Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851) not only changed American literature but also changed American history. For this she is on par with the other great American authors of the Renaissance such as Poe, Hawthorne, Mellville, and Dickinson. Her literary style can be considered one of allegorical, historical-fiction, morality, and abolitionist themes. Along with the critical acclaim of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe still wrote another 30 novels and many more stories and articles pertaining to the social injustices of the time.
- William Wells Brown: He is celebrated as the first African-American novelist and playwright for his publication of Clotel (1853) that pertains to a tragic-mulatto story. Just like Frederick Douglas he was an escaped slave who managed to prosper in the north. He later decided to move to Europe, to avoid the Fugitive Law of 1850, which enforced the capture of run-away slaves.
- Solomon Northrup: His famous memoir, 12 Years a Slave (1853), gives a unique narrative of his life where he was kidnapped as a free man in the north and sent to work in the plantations in the south. The book was a best-seller during it's time, just a year after Uncle Tom's Cabin was released and brought Solomon Northrup significant attention as a leading abolitionist of the age.
- William Lloyd Garrison: Prominent journalist, publisher, and writer and published an abolitionist and suffragist newspaper known as the Liberator. This included many pamphlets and essays published during the 1830s-1860s describing the injustice of slavery.
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