Post on 20-May-2015
Literature
Late 1940’s
Books sales went from 1 million to over 12 million.
The non-Fiction novels based on World War II thrived.
Most Fiction revolved around the society of the time.
The Commonsense Book of Baby and Child Care
Written by Dr. Benjamin SpockWas published due to the population growth
of 28 million.97% of growth was in urban and suburban
areas. Sold an Average of one million copies a year,
between 1946-1960It was considered to have changed families
and their development.
The Lottery
Written by Shirley Jackson
Published in 1948
Symbolized how normal, nice people could allow something like the holocaust.
Cult of Feminine Domesticity
Marynia Farnham wrote Modern Woman: The Lost Sex in 1947
Her novel suggested that science supported the idea that women‘s true destiny was in domesticity.
Death of a Salesman
Written by Arthur Miller in 1949
Explored the theme of loneliness and struggles of the common man
Other notable works of the late 1940’s
The Human Comedy by William Saroyan Tackles the prejudice against WWII
Black Boy (1945) by Richard Wright Wright was prosectued by the government over
communist affiliation and was sent to Paris in 1945, however, he earned acclaim for his books
1950’s
Science Fiction
Science fiction became more popularIsaac Asimov’s I, Robot was published in
1950
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicle explored space travel
Conflict between the individual and mass society
The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger
From Here to Eternity (1951) by James Jones
Catch-22 (1955) by Joseph Heller
The Adventures of Augie March (1953) by Saul Bellow
Homogeneity
The quality of being similar or comparable in nature
Authors were concerned with conformity
The lonely crowd ( 1950) by David Riesman
The Organizational Man (1956) by William Whyte
Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (1955) by Sloan Wilson
Religion
The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) by Norman Vincent Peale- represented the tendency of religion to emphasize reassurance. Supported the power of the individual to control their fate, as well as Bishop Fulton J.
Protestant-Catholic-Jew (1955) by Will Herberg- argued that popular religion lacked conviction and commitment.
Reinhold Niebuhr- the leading neo-orthodox theologian who criticized the self-centeredness of popular religion and its failure to recognize the reality of sin.
The Beats
A.K.A BeatniksBeats were a group of young men alienated by
20th century lifeEmphasized alcohol, drugs, sex, jazz, buddhism,
and a restless vagabond lifeFrom the movement emerged literary works such
as: Howl (1956) by Allen Ginsburg *a long poem* On the Road (1957) by Jack Kerouac
Other Beat authors: Gregory Corso, Neal Cassady, Michael McClure, Gary
Snyder, and William Burroughs
1960’s
Political and social issues of the 60s in America were reflected in it’s Literature
To Kill a Mockingbird
Witten by Harper Lee
Published In 1960
It explored the distinction between race in society
Feminism
Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique argued that the middle-class society stifled women and did not allow them to use their individual talents. She attacked the cult of domesticity. Published in 1963
Gwendolyn brooks, Maya Angelou and Margaret Walker Alexander also developed new views on feminism.
1970’s
Most literature was based on the idea that people were straying from their spiritual roots
Authors
John Updike- made characters that attempted to find meaning in a society which was decaying spiritually.
Joyce Carol Oates- used the same technique as Updike
Kurt Vonnegut- explored society and its need for power and material matter
Toni Morrison- wrote of the Black American experience.
Others were Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, David Mamet, Christopher Durang, and Neil Simon
Early 1980’s
Non fiction
Non fiction books became best-sellers.
For example: All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgham, and in The Beverly Hills Diet by Judy Mazel
Authors
Popular Fiction authors: Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth, Martin Cruz Smith
Ending Statements
Literature helped spread ideas and thoughts throughout the nation.
The themes of American society and culture were reflected in the literature of the time.
Reading American literature helps us understand the way of life in the past.