18th and 19th Century Literature Unit 11 Review: Transatlantic Literature Connections

Key Authors and Works

• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) wrote influential works such as his "Autobiography" and "Poor Richard's Almanack" that exemplified Enlightenment ideals and shaped American identity
• Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), an enslaved African American poet, published "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" (1773), becoming the first published African American author
  • Her poetry demonstrated mastery of classical forms and challenged racial stereotypes
• Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) penned "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" (1789), a seminal slave narrative that advocated for abolition and humanized the experiences of enslaved Africans
• Washington Irving (1783-1859) authored short stories like "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" that blended European folklore with American settings, contributing to a distinct national literature
• James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) wrote the Leatherstocking Tales, including "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826), which popularized the frontier novel and shaped perceptions of Native Americans
• Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) were central figures of Transcendentalism, emphasizing self-reliance, individualism, and the divinity of nature in essays like Emerson's "Self-Reliance" (1841) and Thoreau's "Walden" (1854)

Historical Context

• The 18th and 19th centuries were marked by significant political, social, and cultural changes that shaped literature on both sides of the Atlantic
• The American Revolution (1765-1783) and the formation of the United States inspired new ideas about democracy, liberty, and national identity that influenced American writers
  • The Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution (1787) embodied Enlightenment principles and republican ideals
• The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 18th century and spread to America in the early 19th century, transformed societies and economies, leading to urbanization, social dislocation, and new forms of labor and consumption
• The transatlantic slave trade and the institution of slavery had profound impacts on African American life and literature, as writers grappled with issues of race, identity, and freedom
• The French Revolution (1789-1799) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) had far-reaching effects on European and American politics and culture, inspiring both radical and conservative responses
• Westward expansion and the concept of Manifest Destiny shaped American literature's engagement with the frontier, nature, and indigenous peoples

Literary Movements and Themes

• The Enlightenment emphasized reason, individualism, and progress, influencing writers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine
• Romanticism, which emerged in the late 18th century and flourished in the early 19th century, celebrated emotion, imagination, and the sublime, as seen in the works of William Wordsworth and Edgar Allan Poe
  • Gothic literature, a subgenre of Romanticism, explored the dark, irrational, and supernatural, as exemplified by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818)
• Transcendentalism, an American philosophical and literary movement, stressed the importance of intuition, self-reliance, and the divinity of nature, as expressed in the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
• Realism, which developed in the mid-19th century, sought to depict everyday life and social realities with accuracy and objectivity, as seen in the novels of Mark Twain and Henry James
• Slavery and abolition were central themes in African American literature, from slave narratives like Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" (1845) to the poetry of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
• The concept of the "American Dream" and the tension between individual aspirations and social constraints were explored in works like Horatio Alger's "Ragged Dick" series and Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" (1851)

Transatlantic Influences

• British literature had a significant impact on American writers, who often emulated or adapted British literary forms, genres, and themes
  • Shakespeare's plays were widely performed and alluded to in American literature
• American writers like Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper were popular in Britain and helped shape British perceptions of American culture and landscapes
• The Romantic movement in Britain, led by poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, influenced American Romantics like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne
• British and American writers engaged in intellectual and literary exchanges through correspondence, travel, and publication in transatlantic magazines and journals
  • Charles Dickens's American Notes (1842) recorded his impressions of American society and culture during his tour of the United States
• Abolitionist literature and the anti-slavery movement had transatlantic dimensions, with British and American writers and activists collaborating and influencing each other
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) was widely read and discussed on both sides of the Atlantic

Stylistic Innovations

• The use of vernacular language and regional dialects in American literature, as seen in the works of Mark Twain and Charles Chesnutt, challenged traditional literary conventions and reflected the diversity of American speech
• The development of the short story as a distinct literary form, pioneered by writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, allowed for concentrated explorations of character, theme, and atmosphere
• The use of irony, satire, and humor in works like Washington Irving's "Knickerbocker's History of New York" (1809) and Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884) critiqued social and political issues
• Experimentation with narrative structure and point of view, as in Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" (1851) and Emily Dickinson's poetry, pushed the boundaries of literary form
• The incorporation of symbolism and allegory, particularly in works of Dark Romanticism like Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" (1850), added depth and complexity to literary meanings
• The use of epistolary form in novels like Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818) and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" (1982) allowed for multiple perspectives and intimate character development

Cultural Impact

• The rise of the novel as a popular literary form in the 18th and 19th centuries reflected and shaped middle-class values, gender roles, and social expectations
  • Jane Austen's novels, such as "Pride and Prejudice" (1813), explored the social and economic pressures on women in Regency England
• The proliferation of newspapers, magazines, and cheap print in the 19th century expanded the reading public and created new opportunities for writers and publishers
  • Serialized novels, such as Charles Dickens's "The Pickwick Papers" (1836-37), became a popular form of entertainment and social commentary
• Slave narratives and abolitionist literature played a significant role in shaping public opinion and political debates about slavery and race
  • Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" (1845) was an influential testament to the horrors of slavery and the humanity of enslaved people
• The Transcendentalist movement, centered in New England, influenced American intellectual life and social reform movements, including women's rights and abolitionism
• Gothic literature, with its emphasis on the supernatural and the psychological, reflected anxieties about social change, scientific progress, and the dark sides of human nature
• The literature of the American West, including dime novels and captivity narratives, shaped popular perceptions of the frontier, Native Americans, and American identity

Critical Reception and Analysis

• Literary criticism in the 18th and 19th centuries was shaped by debates about the nature and purpose of literature, the role of the author, and the relationship between literature and society
• Romantic critics like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge emphasized the importance of imagination, emotion, and individual genius in literary creation
• Realist critics like William Dean Howells argued for the importance of depicting social realities and everyday life in literature
• The rise of women writers and readers in the 18th and 19th centuries led to new forms of literary criticism and analysis, including discussions of gender, domesticity, and sentimentality
  • Margaret Fuller's "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" (1845) was an influential feminist critique of gender roles and literary representation
• African American literary criticism, as exemplified by writers like Frederick Douglass and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, challenged racist stereotypes and asserted the intellectual and creative capabilities of Black writers
• The development of American literary nationalism in the early 19th century, as seen in the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, sought to establish a distinct American literary tradition and canon

Legacy and Modern Relevance

• The literature of the 18th and 19th centuries continues to shape American and British cultural identities and to influence modern writers and readers
• The Romantic emphasis on individualism, emotion, and nature has had lasting effects on popular culture, from Hollywood films to self-help books
• The realist tradition of social criticism and psychological depth has influenced modern novelists like Toni Morrison and Zadie Smith
• The legacy of slavery and racism in 18th and 19th century literature continues to shape discussions of race, identity, and social justice in the present day
  • Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" (2016) reimagines the slave narrative genre to explore the ongoing impact of slavery and racism
• The Transcendentalist emphasis on self-reliance and spiritual experience has influenced modern environmentalism, alternative spirituality, and countercultural movements
• The Gothic fascination with the dark sides of human nature and the uncanny has shaped modern horror, science fiction, and psychological thriller genres
  • Jordan Peele's film "Get Out" (2017) uses Gothic tropes to explore the horrors of racism and white supremacy
• Feminist literary criticism and women's writing from the 18th and 19th centuries continue to inspire modern feminist thought and activism