The Literature of Upheaval - Essay Example

Literature Literature has often been described as the body of written works of a specific language, period or culture created by experts and researchers dedicated in described field. Researchers and literature scholars have often mentioned the fact that literature illustrates the real life with its vigor and beauty. Images or word pictures in a literary work frequently discuss the great survival of human being in this world. While turning over the pages of epics and classic literatures, one feels them as dealing with thought provoking remarks and providing practical knowledge for a person to grow as an ideal citizen. American Revolution and the declaration of independence play a vital role in the process of identity formation and one can find the subterranean interrelation between American literature and American identity. Technologies and electronic developments affect the reading habit and it also influences the literature in America. American Renaissance is often considered as a hopeful movement that visualized America as the real descendant to the great western civilization. Renaissance which occurred in mid 19th century has paved the way for an overall change in American social as well as literary filed. During the periods of 1800 to 1870, most of the American masterpieces were produced. After a detailed analysis of the history of American literature one can see that after renaissance writers in America followed a new style or method of storytelling and versification. The expression of national spirit is another major characteristic of new American style. Current political and cultural sphere is filled with the evilness of terrorism and other types of crisis. One can feel that literature should illustrate or reflect the evilness and futility of terrorism and other regional polarizations. The exponents of transcendentalism have focused in a new culture based on native rudiments or ‘Americans’. American ideal of individual consciousness and actions is the most significant feature of American style. Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the striking figures in Renaissance literature has given more emphasis on the philosophy of self reliance which represents the need for the individual to check most of all types of social customs and to change ideas by the commonly accepted standards and values of the community. Self- reliance, individualistic power, enthusiastic feelings about the fascination of power, superior human intelligence and the philosophy of action are visible in American writings during Renaissance period. All these elements have glorified the supreme state America. The emergence of imagination and romantic elements in American literature can be identified in the writings of Walt Witman, Natahliel Hawthrone and Herman Melville. Through the thrilling short stories Louisa May Alcott has also proved Strong moral earnestness, the thought of desire to reform society and education and highbinders have revealed through the writings of many American literary figures during the time of Renaissance. The culture of seminal works was published in between 1850 and 1855. The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne, Mobi-Dick by Melville has revealed unique fear and adventure. The writings of Emerson, Margarate Fuller, and Theodore Parker reveal the fact that all people in this world are united in their close association with the ultimate soul, a post religious correspondent of God. Whitman’s prose works during the period of Renaissance often discussed the philosophy and its greatness. Whitman was notable for developing his own writing style with the help of his war field experience. Emily Dickinson has expressed an unconventional and simple style of writings through her innumerable poems. Death and Inner relations, life after death, and so on were the major themes of Dickinson’s poetry. American novelists have developed a new style of writing which is mixing with allegory and excessive symbolism. At present novelists like Don DeLillo, Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, and Thomas Pynchon portray death and consumerism in their works. All these writers have composed literary works based on some recurrent themes in American culture. Regionalism and excessive enlistment of American culture and nationality were visible in the writings of American literary figures during Renaissance period. Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise and Americana reveals the evilness of consumerism and capitalism. Literature has often been found as influencing national life. Many American writers overtime have described the decisive role of literature in national life. It is well evident while observing the various literatures that deal with nationality and patriotism. Analyzing such writings one can infer that those writing have exerted tremendous influence in molding the perceptions of nationality. The publications during the time of slavery in America prove the role of literature in national life. Among the reform movements, the abolition of slavery had greater importance and the abolitionists published news-papers and books as a rallying call for a change in public policy. A project report of The Huntington Library in US writes, “The efforts of slaveholding interests in prohibiting the circulation of their works, including public burning of abolitionist tracts and prohibition on sending abolitionist literature through the mail, testifies to the impact of literature in promoting change in society (The Huntington Library, n. d). This makes clear the fact that literature can cause changes in society or in national life. Regarding the current influence of literature in national level, one can see that literature portrays the real social life. Majority of the modern literatures are found adopting materials from real life situations and wrote about the disillusionment of familial as well as social relations. This is identifiable while observing T.S Eliot’s writings, especially his great poem The Waste Land. His poem brings out a true picture of the post –World War I society, fully tormented and haunted images. Like Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) had also shared the restless, pleasure hungry, defiant moods of the 20th century through his stories and novel. Earnest Hemingway’s experience with the terror of war as an ambulance driver is visible in his popular novels like, The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. An analysis of the modern writings reveals that most of the current literature represents the current social life one can infer that this is the right way literature should follow. As it is representing the human life, literature should keep its liability by bringing out the real issues that hinders the smooth flow of human life. Observing the future of literature in America, one can see that the disillusionment in modern world literature has not spared the American literature. Though there are a group of talented writers, they cannot exert very much influence among their readers as the Elizabethan or Romantic writers. As the present world is gripped with the fear of war and terrorism, let us infer that the future literature will be mainly focusing on such themes. Globalization and global warming may be associated with modern science fictions, marking the growth of literature to entirely post-modernism. Work cited: The Huntington Library (n. d).The Literature of Upheaval, United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Read More