Literature since 1945

Tyler Lukaszewicz

Emily Nedvidek

Authors

Arthur Miller (1915-2005)• Born in New York on October 17, 1915• Graduated from Abraham Lincoln High

School in 1932; enrolled in University of Michigan in 1934

• Married Marilyn Monroe in 1956 at the age of 41

• Wrote mostly plays• Started writing plays in college; All My Sons

opened on Broadway in 1947 • In 1949, wrote Death of a Salesman; received

a Pulitzer Prize and international fame• Best known for Death of a Salesman and the

Crucible

Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

Eudora Welty (1909-2001)• Born in Jackson, Mississippi • Mississippi State College for Women and

the University of Wisconsin; graduated in 1929

• A publicist for a government agency; travels inspired her to write Death of a Traveling Salesman in 1936

• Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for the novel The Optimist’s Daughter

• Writes about life in deep south and hardships of poor life

• Tone of writing optimistic

Eudora Welty (1909-2001)

Alice Walker (1944-)

• Born in Eatonton, GA to sharecroppers• Accident with a BB gun at age 8• Valedictorian and prom queen in high school• Attended Spelman College (GA) and Sarah

Lawrence College (NY)• Mainly fiction novels, also poetry and essays• Novels about lives of African American

women • Most famous for The Color Purple; won a

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1982 and was made into a movie

Alice Walker (1944-)

Maya Angelou (1928-)

• Born April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri• “Marguerite Johnson”• Actor, teacher, author, poet, playwright,

editor, and director• Autobiographies and poetry; two essays

performed on stage• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings- 1970

– Black girl growing up in the depression

Maya Angelou (1928-)

Truman Capote (1924-1984)

• Born September 30, 1924 in New Orleans• “Truman Streckfus Persons”• Southern settings• Mostly nonfiction• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) movie• In Cold Blood (1965)

– Two drifters murder a Kansas farm family

Truman Capote (1924-1984)

History

Vietnam War

• US to aid South Vietnam• Preventing South Vietnam from

falling to communist• Controversial• Protests• Tone of the literature and song

JFK and MLK Assassinations

• Effect on the literature from deaths.

• Disappointment of losing a “better America”.

• JFK murdered in Dallas, 1963.• MLK assassinated in Memphis, 5

years later

Civil Rights Movement

• Non violent protest for desegregation

• In the south• Martin Luther King Jr.• Equal-rights • sit-ins, rallies and marches. Rid of: Jim Crow law racial discrimination

Obtain: same rights as white Americans

Nixon’s Resignation

• White house security unit - illegal activities?

• President Nixon’s finances• Vice President resigned - income tax

evasion • Ford is new Vice President• Word of president getting impeached • Aug. 8th, President Nixon resigned • Vice President, Ford, sworn in

Persian Gulf War• Aug 2nd, 1990 Saddam Hussein into

Kuwait• Oil• U.N. orders Iraq to withdraw• Iraq failed to comply• U.N. sets ban on trade • Jan. Iraqis ordered to withdraw• Refused and Operation: Desert storm

launched • George Bush Sr. bombs until surrender• Forced to remove all nuclear weapons

Types of Literature

• Novel- A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.

• Play- A literary work written for performance on the stage; a drama

• Poetry- A piece of literature written in meter; verse

• Essay- A short literary composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal view of the author

• Autobiography- The biography of a person written by that person

Culture Since 1945

The 1950s

• Elvis Presley- big break in 1956

• Teen idol and symbol• Stood for rebellion-

parents resented him• Rock n’ Roll became

popular• Introduced new style

of dancing (pelvis)

The 1960s• Anti-War movements• Social revolution-

questioned authority and government, demanded rights and freedom

• “Hippies”• Drug use and

psychedelic music• “British Invasion”-

The Beatles

The 1970s

• Bell bottoms , disco, and afros

• Economic recession- gave rise to environmentalism

• “Hippie” culture peaked

• Feminist movements• Vietnam

The 1980s

• USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow

• The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989

• Had separated East and West Berlin

• Symbol of end of the Cold War

• Would lead to German Reunification

The 1990s

• Boy Bands [Backstreet Boys, N’Sync]

• Personal computers and the internet

• Reality TV• SUVs• Hip hop, alternative

rock, R & B, Teen pop• Grunge and retro

clothing

Themes

History

• Influenced writing immensely• MLK/ JFK assassinations- writers began to

explore social rights, social protest, and the unfairness of death

• Vietnam and Korean War- realized how short life is, the pain of losing a loved one, and explored whether war really can solve anything

• Berlin Wall/ Cold War- whether communism was beneficial; Politics; American Pride

Modern and Daily Life

• Problems of Modern Life- characters more depressed and discouraged with life; looked to themselves to change it rather than a higher power (more independent)

• Boredom with Daily Life- did more outrageous things to entertain themselves; more imaginative; “is the grass greener?”

Pop Culture and Conflicts

• Pop Culture- huge influence on the characters; what they enjoyed, what they wore, and what they talked about, etc.– Styles of writing and writing topics changed to

incorporate the modern culture and society’s interests

• Conflicts b/w “sensitive” and poetic nature of individual and the brutality and coarseness of modern life- inner struggle b/w who they try to be and who they are; difficulty maintaining sensitive nature in a brutal world

Existentialism and Theater of the Absurd

• Existentialism- stresses that individuals must choose their own way to live and act; explores the themes of alienation and the search for self-fulfillment– Started exploring self-indulgence in their work;

many main characters realized that they created the essence of their own lives, rather than authorities or deities.

• Theater of the Absurd- probed social and personal problems; stressed the absurdity and lack of meaning in modern life– More conflict between characters and

themselves; got bored with life and looked for fulfillment elsewhere

Themes

• Social Protest: Negative attitude towards wars and the government

• Shortcomings of Adult world: gloomy, pitiful, seeking freedom and a better life

• Down, disappointed, lacking excitement

• Bitter Family Relationships: revenge, lack of communication, upset, angry

Themes

• Travel: something new, noone has exer seen, unique.

• Human beings to environment: raising awareness, personification to Earth

• False values, spiritual elevation: rush for religion and the new values, freedom

Citations "civil rights movement." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia

Britannica Online School Edition. 19  Aug.  2008  <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-9082763>.

“United States." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 19  Aug.  2008  <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-77906>.

"Persian Gulf War." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 19 Aug.  2008  <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-9059340>.

Kennedy, John F.." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 20  Aug.  2008  <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-3870>.

Jefferson Airplane. "Volunteers.". RCA, 1969.

Citations• Bailey, Beth. "The Histories They are A-Changin': Sources for Teaching about

the Movements of the 1960s.". EBSCO Host. August 24, 2008 <http://proxygsu-scob.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/log in.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=23129449&site=ehost-live>.

• Croan, Melvin. "Berlin Wall." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008.  24 Aug. 2008 <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar056660>.

• "Grolier Online Dictionary". Grolier Online. August 24, 2008 <http://go.grolier.com

• Jeansonne, Glen. "Elvis: Rock 'n' Roll's Reluctant Rebel". EBSCO Host. August 24, 2008 <http://proxygsu- scob.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/lo gin.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=26055441&site=ehost- live>.

• McKay, Nellie Y. "Angelou, Maya." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. 19 Aug. 2008 http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar021730.

• Perkins, Barbara M. "Capote, Truman." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. 19 Aug. 2008 <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar093740>

• Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The American Experience. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004. (875-876; 963-964; 1102-1103)

Citations (pictures)

• "1970s Fashion". Roberto Pie Collection. August 24, 2008 <http://www.robertopiecollection.com/Application/images/Newpics/70s-

Scrapbook-1-md.jpg>. • "A Decade of Change". NHD. August 24, 2008

<http://www.dce.k12.wi.us/srhigh/socialstudies/histday/1960s/1960s.6.jpg>.

• "Alice Walker". Brown Sugar Pages. August 24, 2008 <http://brownsugarpages.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/walker.jpg>.

• "Backstreet Boys". Tropical Paragon. August 24, 2008 <http://bp0.blogger.com/_7kUrDK-lB-U/R8BkBGzK-UI/AAAAAAAAAgw/WvRABBOdpC0/s1600-h/backstreet_boys.jpg>.

• "The Berlin Wall". Nova Online. August 24, 2008 <http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/evans/Photos/Russia/BerlinWall.jpg>.

• "Elvis Presley Music". 8Notes.com. August 24, 2008 <http://www.8notes.com/images/artists/elvis-presley.jpg>.

• "Eudora Welty". Columbia250. August 24, 2008 <http://c250.columbia.edu/images/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/240x240_welty.jpg>.

• "Image:Arthur-miller.jpg". Wikimedia Commons. August 24, 2008 <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Arthur- miller.jpg/489px-Arthur-miller.jpg>.

• "Maya Angelou". UMass Dartmouth. August 24, 2008 http://www.umassd.edu/communications/articles/images/381.jpg.