Literature and theatre of the USA

Contents The Literature of the United States Colonial literature Early U.S. literature Unique American style American lyric Realism, Twain, and James Turn of the century Theater Post-World War II Postmodernism Modern humorist literature Southern literature African American literature Jewish American literature Other ethnic, minority, and immigrant literatures Other genres J.D.Salinger Biography The Poetry of the United States Poetry in the colonies Postcolonial poetry Whitman and Dickinson Modernism and after World War II and after American poetry now Academy of American Poets Awards given by the academy Chicano poetry Pioneers and forerunners Unifying concepts Theater in the United States History Early history The 19th century The 20th century American theater today American

comic book History Proto-comic books Famous Funnies and New Fun Comics Superman and superheroes The Comics Code Silver Age of Comic Books Underground comics Bronze Age of Comic Books The Modern Age Prestige format Independent and alternative comics Artist recognition Production The superhero Pricing The List of Literature & Web-sites The Literature of the United States During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader tradition of English literature. However, unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and tradition. Colonial literature Some of the earliest American

literature were pamphlets and writings extolling the benefits of the colonies to both a European and colonist audience. John Smith of Jamestown could be considered the first American author with his works: A True Relation of ... Virginia ... (1608) and The General Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624). Other writers of this manner included Daniel Denton, Thomas Ashe, William Penn, George Percy, William Strachey, John Hammond, Daniel Coxe, Gabriel Thomas, and John Lawson. The religious disputes that prompted settlement in America were also topics of early writing. A journal written by John Winthrop discussed the religious foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Edward Winslow also recorded a diary of the first years after the Mayflower's arrival.

Other religiously influenced writers included Increase Mather and William Bradford, author of the journal published as a History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620–47. Others like Roger Williams and Nathaniel Ward more fiercely argued state and church separation. Some poetry also existed. Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are especially noted. Michael Wigglesworth wrote a best-selling poem, The Day of Doom, describing the time of judgement. Nicholas Noyes was also known for his doggerel verse. Other early writings described conflicts and interaction with the Indians, as seen in writings by Daniel Gookin, Alexander Whitaker, John Mason, Benjamin Church, and Mary Rowlandson. John Eliot translated the Bible into the Algonquin language. Jonathan Edwards and Cotton Mather represented the

Great Awakening, a religious revival in the early 18th century that asserted strict Calvinism. Other Puritan and religious writers include Thomas Hooker, Thomas Shepard, Uriah Oakes, John Wise, and Samuel Willard. Less strict and serious writers included Samuel Sewall, Sarah Kemble Knight, and William Byrd. The revolutionary period also contained political writings, including those by colonists Samuel Adams, Josiah Quincy, John Dickinson, and Joseph Galloway, a loyalist to the crown. Two key figures were Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin are esteemed works with their wit and influence toward the formation of a budding American identity. Paine's pamphlet Common Sense and The American Crisis writings are