Literary Movements and Authors

Da’ Vonte Dillard

Ralph Waldo Emerson

➔ Wrote “Self Reliance”

➔ Published in 1841
➔ This author is a Romantic/Transcendentalist
➔ In 1821, he took over as director of his
brother's school for girls.
➔ Another one of his famous works is “The
Transcendentalist”
➔ Emerson wrote using romanticism, which is
literature that emphasizes inspiration,
imagination, etc.
Frederick Douglass
➔ Wrote “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass”
➔ Published in 1845
➔ This author is a realist
➔ He was the first african-american to hold a
high US government rank.
➔ Douglass was also an eminent human rights
leading in the anti-slavery movement.
➔ Douglass wrote using realism, which is
literature that is true, through experience and
not to the supernatural nature
Henry David Thoreau

➔ Wrote “Resistance to Civil Government”

➔ Published in 1849
➔ This author is a Romantic/Transcendentalist
➔ He used Emerson as a mentor to fuel his
imagination on what to write on.
➔ Thoreau was also an abolitionist.
➔ Another one of his famous works is called
“Civil Disobedience”.
Harriet Jacobs
➔ Wrote “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”
➔ Published in 1861
➔ This author is a Realist
➔ Jacobs was an african-american slave who
escaped, but was later freed.
➔ She only has one famous work, “Incidents in
the Life of a Slave Girl”.
➔ Jacobs writes using realism, using personal
experience to spread awareness.
Zora Neale Hurston

➔ Wrote “Sweat”
➔ Published in 1926
➔ She wrote using Harlem Renaissance
➔ Zora was the fifth of eight children
➔ She was one of the founding members of
Zeta Phi Beta, an international historically
black sorority.
➔ Her works were based on harlem renaissance
style, for the post-World War II protest
movement of the Civil Rights Movement.
William Faulkner
➔ Wrote “A Rose for Emily”
➔ Published in 1930
➔ Wrote using a modern style
➔ Faulkner was a Nobel Prize recipient
➔ One of his other famous works is called “That
Evening Sun”
➔ His stories were written in modern style,
which can be compared to contemporary
writing.
Mohandas Gandhi
➔ Wrote “Non-violent Resistance”
➔ Published in 1951
➔ Wrote during Civil rights movement
➔ Also wrote “The Essential of Gandhi” and
“The Words of Gandhi”
➔ Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the
Nobel Peace prize 5 times
Martin Luther King Jr.

➔ Wrote “A Letter from Birmingham Jail”

➔ Published in 1963
➔ He wrote during the time of Civil Rights
➔ He was a Baptist minister and social activist
who played a key role in the American civil
rights movement
➔ Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1964.
➔ He was a very confident and independent
man during the Civil Rights movement
Arthur MIller
➔ Wrote “The Crucible”
➔ Published in 1953
➔ Written during the Salem Witch Trials
➔ Arthur Miller married Marilyn Monroe in 1956,
but they divorced in 1961.
➔ He also wrote “All my sons” and “Death of a
Salesman”
➔ The language used during the Salem Witch
Trials is closely related to the Renaissance.
Patrick Henry

➔ Wrote “Speech to the Virginia Convention”

➔ Published in 1775
➔ Speech was based on Realism
➔ This speech was based on what is true and
what should be done
➔ Most remembered for his famous line during
➔ Also wrote other speeches and short stories
Jonathan Edwards
➔ Wrote “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
➔ Published in 1741
➔ Wrote using realism
➔ Realism is described as accepting what is
actually happening, which was hard for
Edwards
➔ He held to Reform Theology and
F. Scott Fitzgerald
➔ Wrote “The Great Gatsby”
➔ Published in 1924
➔ Written using modernism
➔ Modernism is a literary movement to describe
the 20th century.
➔ F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing illustrates the
Jazz age.
➔ He is recognized as one of the greatest
American writers of the 20th century.