Year 1950-Present
BACKGROUND
The United States, which emerged from World War II confident and economically strong, entered the Cold War in the late 1940s. This conflict with the Soviet Union shaped global politics for more than four decades, and the proxy wars and threat of nuclear annihilation that came to define it were just some of the influences shaping American literature during the second half of the 20th century.
WWII INFLUENCE
•Similar to Modernism’s WWI influence WWII advanced technology, horrific casualties, introduction of nuclear warfare Human nature questioned – Holocaust
• Literary focus- Writers focused on the meaning of war, the great loss of human life, and feared what the future would hold.
THE COLD WAR
•The Cold War Atomic Anxiety after bombing of Hiroshima effectively ended the war in 1935 America a new world power; competitive with communist Soviet Union Arms Race to see who could create the most catastrophic weaponry.
•Literary focus – Boom in science fiction. (Example: “End of the world literature” by Richard Davies).
THE VIETNAM WAR
•Effort to contain the spread of communism – U.S. Military became deeply involved in civil affairs of other countries. (Korea and then Vietnam)
•Vietnam War lasted more than 20 years and caused a great deal of conflict stateside. U.S. death toll was more than 58,000, and many Americans saw this as an unnecessary loss.
•Literary Influence- literature reflects the conflicts of the time. People were scared, disillusioned, and wanted to understand the actions of the government.
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
•Protests, marches, voter registration drives, sit-ins became increasingly evident. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream Speech.”
•Many protests were met with mob violence and brutality. Civil Rights Act 1964, outlawed segregation in public places
CIVIL RIGHTS CONTINUED
•Literary Influence- People needed to change laws and the minds of the general public. Building upon the work of early abolitionist writings and the later Harlem Renaissance, contemporary writers began to question race relations and civil injustice. For the first time, American writers began receiving awards.
•Pulitzer Prize for Gwendolyn Brooks
•National Book Award for Ralph Ellison
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, for Annie Allen, making her the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
Born: 7 June 1917, Topeka, Kansas, United States
Died: 3 December 2000, South Side, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Awards: United States Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
Ralph Waldo Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote Shadow and Act, a collection of political, social and critical essays, and Going to the Territory.
Born: 1 March 1914, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Died: 16 April 1994, New York, New York, United States
Awards: National Book Award for Fiction, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Special Achievement
THE AMERICAN DREAM
•Modernists of the previous era became disillusioned with the American Dream.
•The dream became simpler than what it used to be. It became the idea of owning a home or property.
•As the economy boomed, it gave rise to materialism (cars, TVs, etc.)
•Literary Influence-writers began to protest the shallowness of America and those that conformed to the norm. This is where the idea of a “beatnik” was born
THE RISE OF CULTURE DRIVEN LITERATURE
•The Rise of Culture Driven Literature Widespread appreciation of cultural literature Native America, Asian, Latin and African American literature increasingly popular Authors born outside the U.S. became popular with Americans
•Literary Focus: Where older texts were focused on experiences of discrimination, contemporary authors focus on positive and negative experience, colorful culture and individuality.
RESPONSES TO WAR
•“War, with all its moral complexities and attendant brutality, has had a strong influence on writers throughout the 20th and 21st century. Unimaginable casualties, the genocide of the Holocaust, nuclear weapons and anxiety
•Many still wrote with Modernist style: detailed, realistic and somewhat detached— like an outsider giving accounts of the war.
•Straight nonfiction became a powerful account of the war
•Growth of journalism
•Many wrote of their own experiences. (i.e. Elie Wiesel wrote about the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp he lived in)
QUEST FOR IDENTITY
•In the contemporary period, there is a marked shift from stories that showed realistic events and situations to portraying the inner experiences and sometimes irrational psychology of human beings.
•Unlike classical dramas where the hero goes on a quest for some object or symbol out in the world, with American contemporary literature, the main characters are on a quest for identity
EXPRESSIONISM
•The idea here is to bring internal feelings and experiences to the surface, and a character's inner life is just as important, if not more important, than the external events taking place.
•Expressionism is the attempt to show the character's inner struggles, and writers in the contemporary period will illustrate the character's state of mind as often as possible.
Nicholas Sparks
Born: 31 December 1965 (age 54 years),
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Spouse: Cathy Sparks
Children: Savannah Marin Sparks, Landon Sparks,
Miles Andrew Sparks, Lexie Danielle Sparks,
Ryan Cote Sparks
Awards: Goodreads Choice Awards Best Chick Lit
Education: University of Notre Dame (1988),
Bella Vista High School (1984), University of Notre Dame
•Nicholas Sparks, in full Nicholas Charles Sparks, American novelist known for his best-selling tales of romance and heartbreak. Sparks grew up mainly in north-central California, where his family moved when he was eight.
•Works written: The Notebook….
•Profession: Novelist, Writer
Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone.
•His deceased sister Danielle was the inspiration for the key character in his novel ‘A Walk to Remember.’
•Nicholas Sparks is a black belt holder in Tae Kwon Do.
•After receiving his first payment for ‘The Notebook’, Sparks bought his then-wife Cathy a new wedding ring with it.
•Each of his kids’ names has been taken from characters in his novels/books.
•Sparks was once chosen as the 'Sexiest Author' by the renowned ‘People Magazine.’
LISTS OF NICHOLAS SPARKS BOOKS
The Notebook (1996) The Guardian (2003)
Message in a Bottle (1998) The Wedding (2004)
A Walk to Remember (1999) Three Weeks with my Brother (2004)
The Rescue (2000) True Believer (2005)
A Bend in the Road (2001) At First Sight (2005)
Nights in Rodanthe (2002) Dear John (2006)
The Choice (2007) See Me (2015)
The Lucky One (2008) Two by Two (2016)
The Last Song (2009) Every Breath (2018)
Safe Haven (2010)
The Best of Me (2011)
The Longest Ride (2013)
EVERY BREATH
by: Nicholas Sparks
Most of Sunset Beach, a small seaside town in North Carolina, and the adjoining Bird Island coastal reserve encompass a barrier island that is primarily home to vacation rental homes and cottages with just a smattering of full-time residents. Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At 36, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable… but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Commentaires