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.